ENLIVEN

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 Dictionary entry overview: What does enliven mean? 

• ENLIVEN (verb)
  The verb ENLIVEN has 2 senses:

1. heighten or intensify

2. make lively

  Familiarity information: ENLIVEN used as a verb is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• ENLIVEN (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they enliven    ... he / she / it enlivens   
Past simple: enlivened   
Past participle: enlivened   
-ing form: enlivening   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Heighten or intensify

Classified under:

Verbs of feeling

Synonyms:

animate; enliven; exalt; inspire; invigorate

Context example:

These paintings exalt the imagination

Hypernyms (to "enliven" is one way to...):

excite; shake; shake up; stimulate; stir (stir the feelings, emotions, or peace of)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "enliven"):

encourage (inspire with confidence; give hope or courage to)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s somebody
Something ----s somebody

Sense 2

Meaning:

Make lively

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Synonyms:

animate; enliven; invigorate; liven; liven up

Context example:

let's liven up this room a bit

Hypernyms (to "enliven" is one way to...):

arouse; brace; energise; energize; perk up; stimulate (cause to be alert and energetic)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "enliven"):

ginger up; jazz up; juice up; pep up (make more interesting or lively)

inspirit; spirit; spirit up (infuse with spirit)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s somebody
Something ----s something

Antonym:

deaden (make less lively, intense, or vigorous; impair in vigor, force, activity, or sensation)

Derivation:

enlivener (an agent that gives or restores life or vigor)

 Context examples 

Some members of their society sent away, and the spirits of many others saddened—it was all sameness and gloom compared with the past—a sombre family party rarely enlivened.

(Mansfield Park, by Jane Austen)

Lucy came with me, and, enlivened by her charming presence, I made an excellent meal, and had a couple of glasses of the more than excellent port.

(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)

Every Libra will benefit, and Venus will come just in time to enliven your holiday season.

(AstrologyZone.com, by Susan Miller)

The dinner itself was neither well served nor well cooked, and the gloomy presence of the taciturn servant did not help to enliven us.

(His Last Bow, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Beth, who was ready first, kept reporting what went on next door, and enlivened her sisters' toilets by frequent telegrams from the window.

(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)

If ever I permit you to chronicle any more of my little problems, Watson, I foresee that you will enliven your pages by an account of the singular adventure of the Napoleonic busts.

(The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

They have a notion, that when people are met together, a short silence does much improve conversation: this I found to be true; for during those little intermissions of talk, new ideas would arise in their minds, which very much enlivened the discourse.

(Gulliver's Travels into several remote nations of the world, by Jonathan Swift)

It would be a great comfort to Mr. Weston, as he grew older—and even Mr. Weston might be growing older ten years hence—to have his fireside enlivened by the sports and the nonsense, the freaks and the fancies of a child never banished from home; and Mrs. Weston—no one could doubt that a daughter would be most to her; and it would be quite a pity that any one who so well knew how to teach, should not have their powers in exercise again.

(Emma, by Jane Austen)

It may be that he misses in his mistress, something that enlivened him and made him younger; but he mopes, and his sight is weak, and his limbs are feeble, and my aunt is sorry that he objects to her no more, but creeps near her as he lies on Dora's bed—she sitting at the bedside—and mildly licks her hand.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

Dr. and Mrs. Grant would enliven us, and make our evenings pass away with more enjoyment even to my father.

(Mansfield Park, by Jane Austen)