inanimate

/ɪnˈænɪmət/ (bre, ipa) · /ɪnˈænɪmət/ (ame, ipa) · /(ˌ)i-ˈna-nə-mət/ (ame, mw)

inanimate — adjective

  • inanimatepositive
  • more inanimatecomparative
  • most inanimatesuperlative

1. not having any of the qualities or processes that living things have, such as gr

1.形容詞B2
釋義

not having any of the qualities or processes that living things have, such as growth, movement, or consciousness

例句

Emeka picked up the inanimate stone and felt its cold, smooth surface.

collocation: inanimate stone

Binta explained to the children that a doll is inanimate and cannot feel pain or hunger.

adjective used predicatively with and-clause

同義詞
  • lifeless

    can describe both never-alive objects and dead organisms; slightly more emotional

  • nonliving

    neutral, scientific term used in biology and geology

  • inert

    emphasises lack of movement or chemical activity; often used in science contexts

反義詞
  • animate

    alive or having the qualities of a living thing

  • living

    currently alive, as opposed to never having been alive

文法句型

inanimate + noun

be + inanimate

用法筆記

Used for objects, materials, and natural elements that have never been alive. Not used for dead organisms (see sense 2 for things that were once alive but now appear dead).

常見錯誤

❌The flowers on the table are inanimate.' (fresh-cut flowers were alive)
✅The plastic flowers on the table are inanimate.
💡inanimate describes things that have never had life, not dead things that were once alive.

2. appearing to have no signs of life, as if dead or unconscious, often after an ac

2.形容詞B2
釋義

appearing to have no signs of life, as if dead or unconscious, often after an accident or injury

例句

After the bicycle crash, the rider lay inanimate on the road until the ambulance arrived.

verb + inanimate: lie inanimate [after injury]

Elena's face was so pale and still that for a moment she seemed completely inanimate.

同義詞
  • lifeless

    can describe dead organisms; more emotionally loaded than inanimate

  • unconscious

    specifies a reversible lack of awareness, not necessarily deathlike stillness

  • motionless

    focuses on lack of movement, without implying death

反義詞

文法句型

be / lie / look + inanimate

inanimate + noun (medical context)

用法筆記

In medical or emergency contexts, this sense describes a person who appears lifeless. It does not confirm death — someone described as inanimate may still be revived. Distinguish from sense 1 (NOT ALIVE), which is used for objects that were never living.

常見錯誤

❌The rock was inanimate after the landslide.' (rock was never alive)
✅The injured hiker lay inanimate after the landslide.
💡sense 2 applies to once-living beings that appear dead, not to objects.