animality

American  

[an-uh-mal-i-tee] / ˌæn əˈmæl ɪ ti /

noun

1. the state of being an animal.

2. the animal nature or instincts of human beings.

3. animal kingdom.

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animality British  

/ ˌænɪˈmælɪtɪ /

noun

1. the animal side of man, as opposed to the intellectual or spiritual

2. the fact of being or having the characteristics of an animal

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Other Word Forms

• nonanimality noun
• superanimality noun

Etymology

Origin of animality

1605–15; animal + -ity, modeled on carnality ( def. )

Example Sentences

“To affirm our humanity,” Ms. MeLampy writes, “we dip our toe into animality—but we always resurface. By testing the limits, we ultimately reaffirm the boundary between our human selves and our animal selves.”

From The Wall Street Journal

The movement for “Afternoon of a Faun” alludes to the two-dimensional choreography of Nijinsky’s dance to that Debussy piece, a nod to a predecessor of Naharin’s stylized animality.

From New York Times

The film, a Times critic’s pick, is a “wild, boldly expressionistic movie” that conveys his animality and un-knowableness.

From New York Times

“Wolf Play” suggests there’s an animality connecting us that transcends gendered social scripts; kinship and love are wild and don’t play by any rules.

From New York Times

He believed “a being who is ashamed of his animality in that very fact proves himself to be more than a mere animal”.

From The Guardian