enliven
Americanverb
-
to make active, vivacious, or spirited; invigorate
-
to make cheerful or bright; gladden or brighten
Related Words
See cheer.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of enliven
1625–35; obsolete enlive to give life to ( en- 1 + life ) + -en 1
Explanation
High school students who are throwing a dance in the gym might enliven it with balloons and streamers. In other words, they might try to cheer the room up. When you enliven something, you make it more lively, colorful, or exciting. Your friend who is the life of the party can probably be counted on to enliven the dullest gathering, and a sprinkle of curry powder can enliven a dish of plain roasted vegetables. The original meaning of enliven, from the seventeenth century, was literally "to bring to life," as when a doctor re-starts a patient's stopped heartbeat.
Vocabulary lists containing enliven
The Return of the King
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Encourage
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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.
Since then, his business, called Enliven, has expanded to include a van, three employees, a 4,000-square-foot warehouse and annual revenue in the mid-six figures.
From New York Times • Feb. 25, 2023
Enliven, en-līv′n, v.t. to put life into: to excite or make active: to make sprightly or cheerful: to animate.—ns.
From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 2 of 4: E-M) by Various
Enliven it, if you choose, with dashes of crimson, green, or even blue and gold, but use these bright colors carefully.
From Homes and How to Make Them by Gardner, E. C. (Eugene Clarence)
Ah well, the things we valued once Enliven us no more!
From Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 104, January 14, 1893 by Various
Ten thousand fairies clad in green Enliven the sequestered scene, With noiseless dance and mirth, And minstrelsy of heaven conspires With liquid laughs and wind-played lyres To charm the scenes of earth.
From Our Profession and Other Poems by Barhite, Jared
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.
