animatism

[ an-uh-muh-tiz-uhm ]

noun
  1. the attribution of consciousness to inanimate objects and natural phenomena.

Origin of animatism

1
First recorded in 1895–1900; animate + -ism

Words Nearby animatism

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use animatism in a sentence

  • What truth there was in that doctrine is fully covered by animatism.

  • animatism, the animation theory of seemingly inanimate nature, is a further subdivision which also includes animatism and animism.

    Totem and Taboo | Sigmund Freud

British Dictionary definitions for animatism

animatism

/ (ˈænɪməˌtɪzəm) /


noun
  1. the belief that inanimate objects have consciousness

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012