animism
noun
an·i·mism ˈa-nə-ˌmi-zəm 
1
: a doctrine that the vital principle of organic development is immaterial spirit
2
: attribution of conscious life to objects in and phenomena of nature or to inanimate objects
3
: belief in the existence of spirits separable from bodies
animist
ˈa-nə-mist
noun animistic
ˌa-nə-ˈmi-stik
adjective 
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web Her early figurative paintings amalgamate her biography with the rise of socialism, depicting Karl Marx, Chilean folk singer and social activist Violeta Parra, Andean popular art, animism, and Indigeneity. 
Natasha Gural, Forbes, 12 July 2022 Lawson draws viewers in with her use of magical realism to illustrate the history and practices of animism — a belief system built around the idea that all animals, plants, places and inanimate objects have a soul — in African culture. Addie Morfoot, Variety, 22 June 2022 The label, riffing on motifs, iconography, animism and proverbs from across the African continent, was a way for Masekela to pick up the elder Masekela’s mantle and stoke curiosity in the West. Kathryn Romeyn, The Hollywood Reporter, 2 Apr. 2022 When attempting to explain love (and later, death), Heti slips from her biblical register into a kind of animism. Washington Post, 16 Feb. 2022 Mountains in Korea are sacred places in animism and shamanism, whose traces can still be seen in Korean Seon Buddhism. Condé Nast Traveler, 31 Dec. 2021 This is vintage Lockwood: animism, eroticism, and absurdity, equal parts surrealist subconscious and vernacular Americana, stretched to the limits of grammar. Patrick Iber, The New Republic, 5 Aug. 2021 This is vintage Lockwood: animism, eroticism, and absurdity, equal parts surrealist subconscious and vernacular Americana, stretched to the limits of grammar. Patrick Iber, The New Republic, 5 Aug. 2021 This is vintage Lockwood: animism, eroticism, and absurdity, equal parts surrealist subconscious and vernacular Americana, stretched to the limits of grammar. Patrick Iber, The New Republic, 5 Aug. 2021 See More
Natasha Gural, Forbes, 12 July 2022 Lawson draws viewers in with her use of magical realism to illustrate the history and practices of animism — a belief system built around the idea that all animals, plants, places and inanimate objects have a soul — in African culture. Addie Morfoot, Variety, 22 June 2022 The label, riffing on motifs, iconography, animism and proverbs from across the African continent, was a way for Masekela to pick up the elder Masekela’s mantle and stoke curiosity in the West. Kathryn Romeyn, The Hollywood Reporter, 2 Apr. 2022 When attempting to explain love (and later, death), Heti slips from her biblical register into a kind of animism. Washington Post, 16 Feb. 2022 Mountains in Korea are sacred places in animism and shamanism, whose traces can still be seen in Korean Seon Buddhism. Condé Nast Traveler, 31 Dec. 2021 This is vintage Lockwood: animism, eroticism, and absurdity, equal parts surrealist subconscious and vernacular Americana, stretched to the limits of grammar. Patrick Iber, The New Republic, 5 Aug. 2021 This is vintage Lockwood: animism, eroticism, and absurdity, equal parts surrealist subconscious and vernacular Americana, stretched to the limits of grammar. Patrick Iber, The New Republic, 5 Aug. 2021 This is vintage Lockwood: animism, eroticism, and absurdity, equal parts surrealist subconscious and vernacular Americana, stretched to the limits of grammar. Patrick Iber, The New Republic, 5 Aug. 2021 See More Word History
Etymology
German Animismus, from Latin anima soul
First Known Use
1832, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Medical Definition
animism
noun
an·i·mism ˈan-ə-ˌmiz-əm
1
: a doctrine that the vital principle of organic development is immaterial spirit
2
: attribution of conscious life to nature or natural objects