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:
Three other artists, now well-known, enliven these early years.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 17, 2026
His impact was almost instant, first going past the outside edge of Jaiswal to enliven the crowd.
From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2025
If you’re looking to enliven jarred sauce or some plain tomato puree, you can never go wrong with enriching the latent flavors.
From Salon ● Mar. 21, 2025
And she has promoted new initiatives to repopulate empty storefronts and enliven the night life with markets and music festivals.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 6, 2024
Aware of the architects’ increasing emphasis on size, Olmsted shortly before the meeting had written to Burnham suggesting ways to enliven the grounds.
From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson
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
He enlivened concrete, illuminated chain link, made cardboard fluid.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 5, 2025
At this, there was an outburst of gaiety from all the assembled; and I was sensible that the delight of the evening enlivened my spirits as well as all of those seated around me.
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson
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
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
The blend of gallows humor and gruesome fright is enlivening, casting a strange yet fiendishly compelling spell.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 14, 2024
The thrilling kind that comes from seeing a major modern painter in a new, broader, enlivening light.
From New York Times ● Jul. 27, 2023
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.
