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
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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:
Danny Palumbo recommends the best snacks to enliven your cookout.
From Slate ● Sep. 4, 2026
Busby entrusted Mr. Mindte with 60 hours of cassette tapes of autobiographical ramblings, which enliven a narrative that gets dry in stretches.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026
The ride’s namesake song plays give and take with “Jingle Bells” and seasonal adornments adorably enliven the leisurely boat ride with even more cheer.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 19, 2025
His impact was almost instant, first going past the outside edge of Jaiswal to enliven the crowd.
From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2025
The communication of intimacy passes through the word to enliven its sound.
From "Hunger of Memory" by Richard Rodriguez
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
Public art enlivens the entrances, notably the metal cutout sculpture “Dragon and Phoenix” on the trench walls of Spring District Station.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 29, 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
As we near the end we get to a full account of the game itself, enlivened by quotes the players gave after the fact, and followed by chronicles of what befell the participants after 1933.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 22, 2026
Although Glaser enlivened Sunday’s proceedings, Globes commentators Kevin Frazier and Variety’s red carpet correspondent Marc Malkin were terrible additions.
From Salon ● Jan. 12, 2026
Johnson’s narrative is enlivened by its colorful cast, particularly the exuberant, and possibly fraudulent, Conte Querini of Venice, and the imperious and pretentious playwright Dorothy Merlin.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 2, 2026
Henry's "very gregarious" nature enlivened the darker days of last winter in the workshop.
From BBC ● Dec. 24, 2025
No coaxing, no sugar, no lullaby, no story, even the light was put out and only the red glow of the fire enlivened the ‘big dark’ which Demi regarded with curiosity rather than fear.
From "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott
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
A year after “Cosby” became a runaway success, ABC responded with “Growing Pains,” which cast Kirk Cameron as the zany jokester enlivening that show’s Seaver household.
From Salon ● Jul. 23, 2025
His cameos as Blazes Boylan, jitterbugging across the stage with the self-satisfied air of a country rake, were not just enlivening but renewing, capturing the character in a new idiom.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 8, 2025
She touted her efforts to forge change, and smiled as she talked about enlivening downtown with night markets and music festivals on the waterfront.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 21, 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
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
