vivify

verb

viv·​i·​fy ˈvi-və-ˌfī How to pronounce vivify (audio)
vivified; vivifying

transitive verb

1
: to endow with life or renewed life : animate
rains that vivify the barren hills
2
: to impart vitality or vividness to
concentrating this union of quality and meaning in a way which vivifies bothJohn Dewey
vivification noun
vivifier noun
Choose the Right Synonym for vivify

quicken, animate, enliven, vivify mean to make alive or lively.

quicken stresses a sudden renewal of life or activity especially in something inert.

the arrival of spring quickens the earth

animate emphasizes the imparting of motion or vitality to what is or might be mechanical or artificial.

happiness animated his conversation

enliven suggests a stimulus that arouses from dullness or torpidity.

enlivened her lectures with humorous anecdotes

vivify implies a freshening or energizing through renewal of vitality.

new blood needed to vivify the dying club

Examples of vivify in a Sentence

details that vivify the narrative this re-creation of a town in the Old West really vivifies the history that visitors learned in school
Recent Examples on the Web But the book also vivifies the fact that most (if not all) art and journalism has a predatory element. Katy Waldman, The New Yorker, 20 Feb. 2023 All of which speaks to a level of seriousness in the notables featured in Young Bloomsbury that the book perhaps did not vivify. John Tamny, Forbes, 28 Dec. 2022 Each of these observers was given a tic, motif, or symbolic compulsion to distinguish and vivify his or her narration. Mark Greif, The Atlantic, 15 Mar. 2022 So many ideas, so little capital in a relative sense to vivify those ideas. John Tamny, Forbes, 9 May 2021 Their bodies are emphatically their own, no rightful concern of his, and their joy is vivifying. New York Times, 16 Feb. 2020 This novel is a beautiful unfolding of characters and relationships that vivify nontraditional family, friendship, love, identity, boundaries, distance, responsibility and forgiveness. Beth Py-Lieberman, Smithsonian, 28 Nov. 2019 Every year around this time, a delectable wave of Brazilian music sweeps across the Bay Area, bringing a lush, vivifying surge of beauty to the fading days of summer. Andrew Gilbert, The Mercury News, 27 Aug. 2019 To the first point, the Sanders-Red Hen situation has unearthed (or perhaps vivified) a growing sentiment in our society. Aaron Blake, Washington Post, 25 June 2018

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'vivify.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English vivifien to nourish, from Anglo-French vivifier to give life to, from Late Latin vivificare, from Latin vivificus enlivening, from vivus alive — more at quick entry 1

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of vivify was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near vivify

Cite this Entry

“Vivify.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vivify. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

vivify

verb
viv·​i·​fy ˈviv-ə-ˌfī How to pronounce vivify (audio)
vivified; vivifying
1
: to put life into : animate
rains that vivified the parched land
2
: to make vivid
vivification noun
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