animal spirits

American  

noun

1. exuberance arising from an excess of energy; vivacity and good humor.

   The children romped on the lawn, full of animal spirits.

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animal spirits British  

plural noun

1. cheerful and exuberant boisterousness

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Etymology

Origin of animal spirits

First recorded in 1535–45

Example Sentences

Animal spirits are astir after several decades of hibernation.

From The Wall Street Journal

Many banks on Wall Street had started 2025 talking about animal spirits in the form of increased mergers and acquisitions and capital markets activity.

From The Wall Street Journal

“This is Santa Rally math, not animal spirits. The calendar is doing some of the work,” Innes said.

From MarketWatch

“This is Santa Rally math, not animal spirits. The calendar is doing some of the work,” Innes said.

From MarketWatch

There is some space for green shoots to sprout now, or at least for the animal spirits of the economy to emerge from non-stop chaos.

From BBC