anima

American  

[an-uh-muh] / ˈæn ə mə /

noun

1. soul; life.

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

   1. the inner personality that is turned toward the unconscious of the individual (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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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

Example Sentences

Si su proveedor de servicios le anima a mentir o no decir la verdad completa, dijo Davenport, eso es una indicación de problemas.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 18, 2023

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

As his anima or perhaps a romantic dream, Janie Taylor gives the role a wild, fey quality but doesn’t always sustain the continuous flow of energy the movement needs.

From New York Times • Sep. 27, 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