# inanimate

/ˌɪˈnænəmət/ (US) · /ɪnˈænɪmət/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/inanimate
Updated: 2026-08-27

## Senses

### 1. not alive

adjective · CEFR B2

not living and never having been alive, like a rock or a chair.

For teachers: lacking the qualities of living organisms; referring to objects that are not alive and do not possess consciousness.

- Children sometimes talk to their toys as if they were not inanimate objects.
- The philosopher argued that we often project human emotions onto inanimate things like the wind or the sea.

### 2. grammar category

adjective · CEFR C1 · Technical

used to describe words for things that are not people or animals.

For teachers: denoting a class of nouns that refer to non-living things, as opposed to people, animals, or spirits.

- In some languages, the word for 'stone' belongs to the inanimate category.
- The researcher noted that the language distinguishes between animate and inanimate nouns through specific suffix changes in the plural form.

Usage: In linguistics, this adjective describes a noun class or gender.

## Examples

- A stone is an inanimate object.
- The artist specializes in painting inanimate objects like bowls of fruit and old books.
- In many ancient mythologies, even inanimate features of the landscape like mountains and rivers were believed to possess a hidden spiritual essence.

---

From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.