inanimate

American  

[in-an-uh-mit] / ɪnˈæn ə mɪt /

adjective

1. not animate; lifeless.

   Synonyms:

   dead, inert, mineral, vegetable, inorganic

2. spiritless; sluggish; dull.

   Synonyms:

   torpid, dormant, inactive

3. Linguistics. belonging to a syntactic category or having a semantic feature that is characteristic of words denoting objects, concepts, and beings regarded as lacking perception and volition (animate ).

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inanimate British  

/ ɪnˌænɪˈmeɪʃən, ɪnˈænɪmɪt /

adjective

1. lacking the qualities or features of living beings; not animate

   inanimate objects

2. lacking any sign of life or consciousness; appearing dead

3. lacking vitality; spiritless; dull

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Other Word Forms

• inanimately adverb
• inanimateness noun
• inanimation noun

Etymology

Origin of inanimate

From the Late Latin word inanimātus, dating back to 1555–65. See in- ³, animate

Example Sentences

Rice cakes join a long list of inanimate objects that time-poor young Chinese have jokingly adopted for low-maintenance companionship in recent years, ranging from mango pits, to rocks, to cardboard dogs.

From Barron's • Feb. 5, 2026

What to do with this inanimate object, whose newly visible rust spots Ms. Wilson began to equate with the cracks she had failed to discern in her marriage?

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 21, 2025

I’d see Kim Kardashian in — what’s that cartoon that she’s in? — anyways, I was like “Oh, my God, I really wanna be an inanimate object like a cat or dog.”

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 16, 2025

Tom Ogden wrote an indie-pop anthem about the incident, then dedicated their fifth album to the unfortunate inanimate ape.

From BBC • Nov. 17, 2024

But I liked his physiognomy even less than before: it struck me as being at the same time unsettled and inanimate.

From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë