B2adjectiveformalsciencenature
US/ɪnˈæn.ə.mət/
UK/ɪnˈæn.ɪ.mət/
not alive, like a stone or a table
In context
A rock is an inanimate object, but a plant is a living thing.
Young children sometimes talk to inanimate toys as if they were alive.
The scientist compared living cells with inanimate matter.
Words that go with inanimate
adjective + noun
- inanimate objectNewton's law applies to every inanimate object.
- inanimate matterLife began from inanimate matter.
- inanimate worldBooks on nature describe both the living and the inanimate world.
- inanimate nounIn this sentence, the subject is an inanimate noun.
- inanimate thingHe talks to every inanimate thing in the house.
- inanimate natureInanimate nature includes rocks, rivers and clouds.