animism

1 of 2

noun (1)

an·​i·​mism ˈa-nə-ˌmi-zəm How to pronounce animism (audio)
1
: a doctrine that the vital principle of organic development is immaterial spirit
2
: attribution of conscious life to objects in and phenomena of nature or to inanimate objects
3
: belief in the existence of spirits separable from bodies
animist
ˈa-nə-mist How to pronounce animism (audio)
noun
animistic
ˌa-nə-ˈmi-stik How to pronounce animism (audio)
adjective

animist

2 of 2

noun (2)

an·​i·​mist ˈa-nə-mist How to pronounce animist (audio)
plural -s
often attributive
: one who accepts the doctrine of animism
animistic
¦a-nə-¦mi-stik How to pronounce animist (audio)
adjective

Examples of animism in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
In the past, Macfarlane has been careful to distance his thinking from animism, from the idea that the world is alive. — Daegan Miller june 5, Literary Hub, 5 June 2025 Oyeyemi’s prose is propelled by a subtle animism; her sentences sometimes seem to contain the whole book in miniature. — Katy Waldman, New Yorker, 18 Aug. 2025 State-of-the-art animation techniques here collide with primal intuitions of animism. — Jan Tumlir, Artforum, 1 Sep. 2025 Indeed, animism—the openness to subjectivity in any form, in a living world that is far more than human—is still the default view and practice of many indigenous cultures. — Colin Cepuran, Harpers Magazine, 24 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for animism

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

German Animismus, from Latin anima soul

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1832, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

1819, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of animism was in 1819

Rhymes for animism

See All Rhymes for animism

Browse Nearby Words

animikite
animism
animis opibusque parati
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Animism.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/animism. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Medical Definition

animism

noun
an·​i·​mism ˈan-ə-ˌmiz-əm How to pronounce animism (audio)
1
: a doctrine that the vital principle of organic development is immaterial spirit
2
: attribution of conscious life to nature or natural objects
animist
-məst How to pronounce animism (audio)
noun
animistic
ˌan-ə-ˈmis-tik How to pronounce animism (audio)
adjective

More from Merriam-Webster on animism

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about animism

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All