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Slang dictionary results for spirit animal.

spirit animal

American  
[spir-it an-uh-muhl] / ˈspɪr ɪt ˌæn ə məl /

noun

spirit animals plural
  1. in certain traditional belief systems, an animal believed to be the incarnation of a guiding or protective spirit.

  2. an animal thought of as representing the character traits that a person possesses or wants to cultivate.


Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

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.

The custom readings are bound in booklets, each featuring a spirit animal, such as a panda, and suggested habits.

From Los Angeles Times • May 4, 2026

Below, Herzog talks about his own spirit animal, the necessities he brings into the field and the penguin from one of his movies that recently turned into a meme.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 16, 2026

To Blossoms, Gary has now become muse and mascot, spirit animal and unofficial sixth member of the band.

From BBC • Nov. 17, 2024

This high-spirited heroine gets aid from her spirit animal, a massive porcupine.

From New York Times • Mar. 2, 2023

“We’ve had a lot of visits from leopards recently: first the spirit animal by the stream, and then the one in the banana grove.”

From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer

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