animate
gb/ˈænəmˌeɪt/ us/ˈænəmˌeɪt/
B2
Anglais
Sens
0 sens
Verbe
B2
action
1
make someone or something lively
To make something more lively or interesting.
Schéma d’usage :
animate [someone/something]
Erreur fréquente :
Learners sometimes use animate when they mean create a cartoon; in that case, use animate a character/scene or make an animation.
Synonymes
liven up (More informal and common in conversation.)
|
energize (Suggests adding energy or enthusiasm.)
Antonymes
dull (To make something less lively or interesting.)
Collocations
animate a discussion
|animate a meeting
|animate a party
|animate the crowd
|animate the debate
|animate conversation
|a speaker who animates
|a performance that animates
|music that animates
|to animate the room
Thèmes
daily_life
|communication
|emotions
Exemples
- She tried to animate the conversation by asking everyone a question.
- The host’s jokes animated the audience.
- Fresh flowers and bright colors can animate a plain room.
Exemples pédagogiques
- Music can animate a party.
- He animated the meeting with a good idea.
adjective
B2
property
2
living, not dead or lifeless
Alive; living.
Schéma d’usage :
animate [noun]
Erreur fréquente :
Animate does not mean 'animal' (though it often refers to animals and people).
Synonymes
living (More common and less formal.)
|
alive (Often used for an individual rather than a category.)
Antonymes
inanimate (Not alive; not a living being.)
Collocations
animate beings
|animate creatures
|animate life
|animate organism
|animate nature
|animate world
|animate body
|animate matter
Thèmes
nature
|science
Exemples
- The exhibit compares animate life with inanimate matter.
- Many cultures believe that all animate beings deserve respect.
- The virus can reproduce only inside an animate host.
Exemples pédagogiques
- Humans are animate beings.
- A rock is inanimate, not animate.
Verbe
formal
C1
action
3
give life or spirit to
To give someone energy or purpose, often because of a strong feeling.
Schéma d’usage :
animate [someone/something]; be animated by [something]
Erreur fréquente :
This sense is more formal; in everyday speech, people often say inspire or motivate instead.
Synonymes
inspire (More general and common.)
|
motivate (Focuses on causing someone to act.)
Antonymes
discourage (To take away confidence or motivation.)
Collocations
animated by hope
|animated by love
|animated by fear
|animate a vision
|animate a cause
|animate a movement
|animate a story
|animate a character
|animate a work of art
|animate a speech
Thèmes
emotions
|literature
|beliefs
Exemples
- A deep sense of justice animated his work.
- She was animated by the belief that change was possible.
- The writer’s compassion animates the entire novel.
Exemples pédagogiques
- Hope animated them.
- He was animated by curiosity.
Verbe
technical
B2
action
4
make drawings or models move
To make a character or image move in a movie or on a screen.
Schéma d’usage :
animate [a character/object/scene]; animate [something] in [software]
Erreur fréquente :
Animate (verb) is the action; animation (noun) is the result. 'Cartoon' is the finished product, not the verb.
Synonymes
create animation (More explicit; often used by learners.)
|
render motion (More technical; focuses on producing movement visually.)
Antonymes
freeze (To stop motion or keep something still (in an image or sequence).)
Collocations
animate a character
|animate a scene
|animate a model
|animate a logo
|animate a sequence
|animate a GIF
|animate in Blender
|animate in Maya
|animate in After Effects
|animate the mouth movements
Thèmes
media
|technology
|arts
Exemples
- They hired an artist to animate the main character.
- She learned to animate a walk cycle in three days.
- The app lets you animate text with simple effects.
Exemples pédagogiques
- I want to animate a short film.
- He animated the logo for the website.
adjective
B2
property
5
lively and expressive
Full of energy and showing feelings.
Schéma d’usage :
an animate [expression/face/discussion]
Erreur fréquente :
Animated (not animate) is much more common for this meaning (e.g., an animated discussion).
Synonymes
animated (Much more common in modern English for this meaning.)
|
expressive (Emphasizes showing feelings clearly.)
Antonymes
impassive (Showing little or no emotion.)
Collocations
an animated discussion
|an animated debate
|an animated conversation
|an animated expression
|animated gestures
|an animated face
|animated storytelling
|become animated
|look animated
|get animated
Thèmes
emotions
|communication
Exemples
- He grew more animate as he described the trip.
- Her voice became animate when she started talking about her research.
- The children were most animate during the games.
Exemples pédagogiques
- He became animate when he heard the news.
Nom
technical
C1
entity
6
a living being
A living thing, like a person or animal.
Schéma d’usage :
an animate; animates
Erreur fréquente :
In everyday English, people usually say person, animal, or living thing instead of animate (noun).
Synonymes
creature (Common but can sound literary or dramatic depending on context.)
|
organism (More scientific and broader (includes plants, microbes).)
Antonymes
inanimate (A non-living thing (used as a noun in technical contexts).)
Collocations
humans and other animates
|the rights of animates
|distinguish animates from inanimates
Thèmes
nature
|science
Exemples
- The study focuses on how children categorize animates and inanimates.
- Some languages mark animates differently from inanimates in their grammar.
adjective
technical
C1
property
7
referring to living nouns
In grammar, used for words that mean living beings.
Schéma d’usage :
an animate noun; animate vs inanimate
Erreur fréquente :
This is a technical label; it does not mean 'funny' or 'active'.
Synonymes
living (Similar idea, but not a standard grammatical label.)
Antonymes
inanimate (In grammar, referring to non-living things.)
Collocations
animate noun
|animate pronoun
|animate reference
|animate category
|animate vs inanimate distinction
Thèmes
language
|education
Exemples
- In this language, animate nouns take different endings.
- The grammar distinguishes animate from inanimate referents.
Grammaire
Forme canonique
animate
API
GB/ˈænəmˌeɪt/
US/ˈænəmˌeɪt/
Syllabes et accentuation
an - im - ate (3 syllabes)
Stress on 1st syllable (an)
Formes du mot
Adjective
- Base: animate
Verb
- Base: animate
- 3rd Person Singular: animates
- Present Participle: animating
- Past: animated
Famille de mots
Forms
animates
verb
animating
verb
animated
verb
Core family
animation
noun B1
animator
noun
Related words
animatedly
adverb C1
Negative and opposite forms
inanimate
adjective C1
Advanced or less common
reanimate
verb
reanimation
noun
Expressions
animate (something) with (something)
1/ˈænəmˌeɪt sˈʌmθɪŋ wˈɪθ sˈʌmθɪŋ/
fixed phrase
formal
add life or energy
To make something more lively by adding something.
Exemples
- She animated her speech with personal stories.
- The designer animated the space with bold color.
- The report is animated with vivid examples.
animate and inanimate
1/ˈænəmˌeɪt ˈænd ɪnˈænəmɪt/
fixed phrase
living things and nonliving things
Living and not living things.
Exemples
- The lesson covers animate and inanimate nouns.
- Children learn to sort objects into animate and inanimate categories.
animated film
1/ˈænəmˌeɪtɪd fˈɪlm/
fixed phrase
movie made with animation
A movie made with cartoons or animation.
Exemples
- We watched an animated film with the kids.
- The studio is famous for its animated films.
- Her first job was on an animated film.
animated gif
1/ˈænəmˌeɪtɪd d͡ʒɪf/
fixed phrase
looping moving image file
A small moving picture you share online.
Exemples
- He replied with an animated GIF instead of a text message.
- The website uses animated GIFs for simple tutorials.
- I saved an animated GIF of the scene.
animated series
1/ˈænəmˌeɪtɪd sˈɪɹiz/
fixed phrase
TV show made with animation
A TV show made with animation.
Exemples
- The book was adapted into an animated series.
- They released a new animated series last year.
- She voices a character in an animated series.
be animated
1/bˈi ˈænəmˌeɪtɪd/
fixed phrase
be lively and excited
To talk or act with a lot of energy.
Exemples
- She was animated as she explained her plan.
- He’s usually quiet, but he becomes animated when he talks about music.
- They were animated by the good news.
computer-animated
1/kəmpjˈutɚ ˈænəmˌeɪtɪd/
fixed phrase
made with computer animation
Made using computers to create animation.
Exemples
- It’s a computer-animated movie with realistic lighting.
- The trailer includes a computer-animated creature.
- They created a computer-animated sequence for the opening.
get animated
1/ɡˈɛt ˈænəmˌeɪtɪd/
fixed phrase
informal
become excited or angry
To start speaking or acting with strong emotion.
Exemples
- Don’t get animated—it's just a suggestion.
- She gets animated whenever politics comes up.
- He got animated and started talking faster.