inanimate Hear it!

inanimate Definition

in·ani·mate (in anə mit)

adjective

  1. not animate; not endowed with (animal) life
  2. not animated; dull; spiritless

Etymology: LL inanimatus

inanimate Related Forms
in·ani·mately adverb in·ani·mate·ness noun or in·an′i·ma·tion
inanimate Synonyms

inanimate

modif.

  1. Inorganic

    lifeless, dead, mineral, nonanimal, nonvegetable, azoic; see also inorganic.

  2. Inactive

    dull, inert, dormant, spiritless; see dull 6, idle 1, motionless 1. See syn. study at dead.

inanimate Usage Examples

Modifies a noun

  • object: Even inanimate objects can enter into the random spirit.
  • matter: These passages present creation, whether by speech or act, as the work of God on the inanimate matter of the universe.
  • nature: The tangible can, simply by virtue of its inanimate nature, unlock the meaning of the intangible.
  • thing: The decision may affect the world of inanimate things for which we have a special affinity.
  • world: Nor is God just concerned with the inanimate world.
  • body: I had worked hard for nearly two years, for the sole purpose of infusing life into an inanimate body.

Modifying Another Word

  • even: Even inanimate objects can enter into the random spirit.
  • not: What if they are not inanimate objects, as people in the West have been taught to believe, but rather living presences?
  • largely: Indeed, tho largely inanimate - with the exception of a few jerky automatons - many of the figures are extremely lifelike.
  • almost: He did not see his old mother, who had fallen back almost inanimate upon a bench.
inanimate Quotes

Unfortunately, computers are†stupid.Unlike human beings, computers possess the truly profound stupidity of the inanimate.

—Sterling, Bruce