inanimate
Americanadjective
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not animate; lifeless.
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spiritless; sluggish; dull.
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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 (opposed to animate).
adjective
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lacking the qualities or features of living beings; not animate
inanimate objects
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lacking any sign of life or consciousness; appearing dead
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lacking vitality; spiritless; dull
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of inanimate
From the Late Latin word inanimātus, dating back to 1555–65. See in- 3, animate
Explanation
Inanimate describes a non-living thing. Chairs, baseballs, sofa cushions and sadly, snowmen, are all inanimate objects. We can break inanimate down into two Latin roots: in, which means “not,” and animatus, which translates to “alive.” So inanimate means simply, "not alive." That include things that are recently dead, things that were never alive to begin with, and things that simply look dead: A bear in hibernation may appear inanimate due to its decreased heart rate, but don’t be fooled — it’s very much alive.
Vocabulary lists containing inanimate
Speak Your Mind: Anim
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Vocabulary to Describe Literary Devices
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100 SAT Words Beginning with "I"
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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.
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
Stella's Gingerbread house plushie is an "Amuseable", a line of toys with tiny faces modelled on inanimate objects from toilet rolls to boiled eggs.
From BBC • Jan. 3, 2026
The tin was only an inanimate object; but in reframing its meaning, she has reopened her heart.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 21, 2025
“By Design,” by the playwright-turned-filmmaker Amanda Kramer, has one of this Sundance’s more mysterious hooks: What happens when a woman realizes that society prefers her inanimate?
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 23, 2025
Some clutched their rosaries and Bibles and performed the sign of the cross, then apologized and resumed their inanimate positions.
From "The Marvellers" by Dhonielle Clayton
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.
