Animate
What it means
To bring life, energy, movement, or lively interest to something.
Reach for it when describing the force that makes a subject feel active and engaging
Colorful stories animate the guide's lessons about local history.
Words to choose between 7
| everyday | |
|---|---|
| warm | |
| professional | |
| formal |
-
everyday
bring to life
Fits when plain vivid phrasing should emphasize transformation
Careful The phrase can exaggerate a modest improvement and is too long for compact copy.
-
everyday
Fits when renewed vigor drives visible activity
Careful Energy can become hectic and does not necessarily make the subject feel alive.
-
warm
Fits when greater interest or cheer is the intended effect
Careful Enliven can brighten a mood without creating movement or agency.
-
warm
Fits when ideas or feeling move people to create or act
Careful Inspiration can remain internal and need not animate the presentation itself.
-
professional
Fits when a system or process begins operating
Careful Activate is mechanical and lacks animate's sense of character or liveliness.
-
formal
Fits when strength and freshness return to a person or system
Careful Invigoration concerns renewed vigor rather than expressive life.
-
formal
Fits when life or vitality is deliberately restored
Careful Vitalize is uncommon and sounds technical in ordinary writing.
Opposites 3
- deaden
- stifle
- immobilize
Common phrases 3
-
animate the discussion
Two concrete examples will animate the discussion.
-
animate a scene
Small gestures animate a scene that otherwise contains little movement.
-
ideas that animate
The exhibition explains the ideas that animate the cooperative.
Word family 1
Definitions and examples are written for this site. How words are chosen Recording: Dvortygirl, American accent, from Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 Updated