enliven
Americanverb (used with object)
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enlivens,
present (3rd person singular)
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enlivened,
past participle, past
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enlivening
present participle
verb
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to make active, vivacious, or spirited; invigorate
-
to make cheerful or bright; gladden or brighten
Synonym Usage
See cheer.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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enlivenernoun
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enlivenmentnoun
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enliveningadjective
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unenlivenedadjective
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unenliveningadjective
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enliveninglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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enlivensimple
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enlivenssimple
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have enlivenedperfect
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has enlivenedperfect
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am enliveningprogressive
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are enliveningprogressive
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is enliveningprogressive
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have been enliveningperfect progressive
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has been enliveningperfect progressive
Past
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enlivenedsimple
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had enlivenedperfect
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was enliveningprogressive
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were enliveningprogressive
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had been enliveningperfect progressive
Future
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.
See Examples For:
Robert Wun’s sparkly, inky designs, initially fitted with umbrella-like headwear, enliven the dance as it goes along its uneventful way; Ms. Archibald’s background in hip-hop, as well as classical dance, wasn’t much in evidence.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026
But here, too, Wladyka stumbles, opting for a comforting but pat ending about how dance and art enliven so many lives.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026
Danny Palumbo recommends the best snacks to enliven your cookout.
From Slate ● Sep. 4, 2026
Mr. Pajak is appealing as the geeky, comic-book-obsessed Sam, while Ms. Bean does her best to enliven with her ferocious belt her rather bland concerned-mother role.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 28, 2026
She did regret, however, that the mad Englishman from Cambridge had decided not to come and enliven the mood.
From "Double Helix" by James D. Watson
If they threaten to bore, the authors’ jaunty tone enlivens the delivery.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 30, 2026
A great glaze enrobes and enlivens the meat.
From Salon ● Apr. 18, 2025
They are the weeds that sprout in sidewalk cracks, the elaborate graffiti that enlivens the drab wall of an abandoned building.
From New York Times ● Dec. 3, 2024
Casting is, unambiguously, an art form, one that enlivens the page and fleshes out drama.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 8, 2024
Fleming, seventy- one, a former mayor of Garden City, a short man who enlivens an unsensational appearance with rather conspicuous neckwear, resisted the assignment.
From "In Cold Blood" by Truman Capote
They depict a natural world often enlivened with the dramatic splendor of rushing falls, flowing lava, and vivid arrays of sky, clouds and storms.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 31, 2026
The composition is utterly still, devoid of human presence and enlivened only by fluttering harbor flags and the canvas’s scintillating pinpoints of color.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 28, 2026
After spending the last decade writing about his life and childhood, writing about what’s happening right now has clearly enlivened Bono’s storytelling and songwriting abilities.
From Salon ● Mar. 10, 2026
“Are they coming back broken? Are they coming back better? Are they coming back more enlivened, more capable? Are they coming back into prison over and over?”
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 24, 2026
Mrs. Mortimer Merriman and Mrs. James Highcamp, who were there with Alcée Arobin, had joined them and had enlivened the hours in a fashion that warmed him to think of.
From "The Awakening" by Kate Chopin
In my fall preview item for this show, I wrote that the “production is all but guaranteed to be more enlivening than an evening spent surfing Netflix.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 23, 2026
The honesty of the acting is so enlivening that I’m tempted to rank this production among the very best Wilson revivals I’ve seen.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026
Not surprisingly, massed strings play a defining role, with well-integrated keyboard parts enlivening the musical landscape.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 2026
Years ago, when Ms. Frazier had finished a clinical internship in a dimly lit, windowless office, she realized that she needed a “more enlivening setting” — for her clients and for herself.
From New York Times ● Feb. 5, 2024
Opposing them were the Plutonists, who noted that volcanoes and earthquakes, among other enlivening agents, continually changed the face of the planet but clearly owed nothing to wayward seas.
From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
