animal spirits
Americannoun
plural noun
Etymology
Origin of animal spirits
First recorded in 1535–45
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“Failing to incorporate animal spirits into the model can blind us to the real sources of trouble.”
From Barron's • Mar. 11, 2026
It’s on the supply-side, in a dearth of animal spirits and domestic competition.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 8, 2026
Hartnett also referenced the troubles in credit and private equity as examples of peak liquidity and animal spirits.
From MarketWatch • Nov. 21, 2025
It is a critical few months for the animal spirits in the economy to reignite.
From BBC • Jan. 31, 2025
In her animal spirits there was an affluence of life and certainty of flow, such as excited my wonder, while it baffled my comprehension.
From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
