adjective

inanimate

ihn-A-nih-muht

adjective

Not alive and incapable of movement on its own, like a rock or a chair.

"The child talked to her stuffed animals as though the inanimate toys could hear her."

"A statue is an inanimate object, no matter how lifelike it looks."

How to Use Inanimate

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishDescribes objects with no life in them — the opposite of animate or living.

Easily confused with

animate →

Common pairings

inanimate object inanimate matter

more inanimate comparative, inanimated past tense, inanimates plural, inanimates singular, most inanimate superlative

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The child talked to her stuffed animals as though the _____ toys could hear her.

From Late Latin inanimatus, from in- plus animatus, "animated" or "given life."

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