- enliven
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transitive verb
Date: 1604
to give life, action, or spirit to ; animate <fresh flowers enliven the room> Synonyms: see quicken
New Collegiate Dictionary. 2001.
enliven
Look at other dictionaries:
Enliven — En*liv en, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Enlivened}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Enlivening}.] [Pref. en + liven.]. 1. To give life, action, or motion to; to make vigorous or active; to excite; to quicken; as, fresh fuel enlivens a fire. [1913 Webster] Lo! of… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
enliven — index inspire, spirit, stimulate Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 … Law dictionary
enliven — 1630s, give life to (enlive in same sense is from 1590s); see en (1) make, put in + LIFE (Cf. life) + EN (Cf. en) (1). Meaning make lively or cheerful is from 1690s … Etymology dictionary
enliven — animate, *quicken, vivify Analogous words: refresh, *renew, restore, rejuvenate: stimulate, excite, quicken, galvanize, *provoke: entertain, recreate, divert, *amuse: inspire, fire, inform, animate Antonyms: deaden: subdue Contrasted words: * … New Dictionary of Synonyms
enliven — [v] inspire, vitalize animate, brace up, brighten, buck up, buoy, cheer, cheer up, divert, entertain, excite, exhilarate, fire, fire up, galvanize, give a lift, give life to, gladden, hearten, inspirit, invigorate, jazz up*, juice up*, let… … New thesaurus
enliven — ► VERB 1) make more interesting or appealing. 2) make more cheerful or animated … English terms dictionary
enliven — [en lī′vən, inlī′vən] vt. to make active, vivacious, interesting, or cheerful; liven up or brighten enlivener n. enlivenment n … English World dictionary
enliven — [[t]ɪnla͟ɪv(ə)n[/t]] enlivens, enlivening, enlivened VERB To enliven events, situations, or people means to make them more lively or cheerful. [V n] I love the way a good flirtation can enliven the most mundane situation... [V n] Even the most… … English dictionary
enliven — UK [ɪnˈlaɪv(ə)n] / US verb [transitive] Word forms enliven : present tense I/you/we/they enliven he/she/it enlivens present participle enlivening past tense enlivened past participle enlivened formal to make something more interesting or lively … English dictionary
enliven — enlivener, n. enliveningly, adv. enlivenment, n. /en luy veuhn/, v.t. 1. to make vigorous or active; invigorate: The wit of Mencken enlivened his age. 2. to make sprightly or cheerful; brighten: Flowers enliven any room. [1625 35; obs. enlive to… … Universalium
