animatism

American

[an-uh-muh-tiz-uhm] / ˈæn ə məˌtɪz əm /

noun

the attribution of consciousness to inanimate objects and natural phenomena.

animatism British

/ ˈænɪməˌtɪzəm /

noun

the belief that inanimate objects have consciousness

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of animatism

First recorded in 1895–1900; animate + -ism

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.

I think, then, that we had better distinguish this wider sense of animism by a different name, calling it "animatism," since that will serve at once to disconnect and to connect the two conceptions.

From Anthropology by Marett, R. R. (Robert Ranulph)

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023