anima

American  

[an-uh-muh] / ˈæn ə mə /

noun

animas plural

1. soul; life.

2. (in the psychology of C. G. Jung)

   1. the inner personality that is turned toward the unconscious of the individual (contrasted with persona).

   2. the feminine principle, especially as present in men.

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anima British  

/ ˈænɪmə /

noun

1. 1. the feminine principle as present in the male unconscious

   2. the inner personality, which is in communication with the unconscious See also animus

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• animas
  plural

Etymology

Origin of anima

1920–25; < Latin: breath, vital force, soul, spirit

Compare meaning

How does anima compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• anima vs. animus

Explanation

Your anima is the unconscious part of your mind that works automatically, without introspection or awareness. Some psychologists believe your anima affects your dreams, fears, and habits. Psychologist Carl Jung came up with the ideas of anima and animus, parts of your psyche — or spirit — that connect with the deepest, most subconscious aspects of the mind. Originally, Jung used anima to talk about the feminine parts of a man's personality. The Latin origin of the word is animus, "rational soul, life, or intelligence," from a root that means "to blow" or "to breathe."

Example Sentences

What fellow analyst Carl Jung called the anima, the feminine, is denied; the animus is embraced.

From Golf Digest • Jul. 12, 2018

There is action, and there are explosions, and there are dinosaurs running around and fighting in sequences that will thrill some audiences, but there is no anima behind it.

From The Verge • Jun. 6, 2018

The wedding suggests Bouncer's subconscious desire to marry the masculine "animus" side of his psyche with his less-apparent feminine "anima" side in order to unify his personality.

From The Guardian • Jul. 9, 2010

Introduced was a careful sentence to bring della Porta’s discussion of the soul in line with Christian teaching, and all references to the world soul, the anima mundi, were now carefully turned into quotations.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

After their example, the Latins understood the word anima to signify the life of the animal.

From Voltaire's Romances, Complete in One Volume by