Word · Frequency #14461
inanimate
无生命的；没有生命的
not alive; lacking life
- 1.
Lacking the quality or ability of motion; as an inanimate object.
缺乏运动性质或能力的；如无生命物体。
- 2.
Not alive, and never having been alive, especially not like humans and animals.
没有生命的,且从未有生命的,尤其不像人类和动物。
- 3.
Not animate.
非动物的；无生命的。
无生命名词的；非生物名词的；缺乏运动性质或能力的；如无生命物体。；没有生命的,且从未有生命的,尤其不像人类和动物。；非动物的；无生命的。；失去知觉的
In use
The scientist studied the inanimate rocks to understand the region's geology.
Although the doll is inanimate, it seems to have a personality in the movie.
Wind is invisible, and it can move both animate and inanimate objects.
inanimate + noun
inanimate 常作定语，修饰名词，表示“无生命的”。
The science class studied inanimate objects like rocks and water.
科学课研究了岩石和水这类无生命的物体。
be + inanimate
作表语时，表示主体没有生命或缺乏活力。
Many people believe that a stone is inanimate.
许多人认为石头是无生命的。
Common mistakes
Carbon dioxide is an inanimate compound.
Connections
Collocations
- inanimate object
- 无生命物体
- A chair is an inanimate object, so it cannot move by itself.椅子是无生命物体，所以它不能自己移动。
- inanimate matter
- 无生命物质
- Rocks and water are examples of inanimate matter.岩石和水是无生命物质的例子。
- inanimate nature
- 无生命的自然界
- In his poems, he often contrasts human passion with inanimate nature.在他的诗歌中，他常常将人的激情与无生命的自然界作对比。
- inanimate noun
- 无生命名词
- In English, inanimate nouns usually take the pronoun 'it'.在英语中，无生命名词通常用代词 it 来指代。
Synonyms
- lifeless
- 无生命迹象的；死气沉沉的 · 最贴近 inanimate，多数语境可互换；但 lifeless 还带“死寂、无生气”的修辞色彩，而 inanimate 更侧重客观无生命。
Learner notes
Memory Tip
in（不）＋animate（有生命的）→ 没有生命的；想象一块石头，毫无生气。
Context & Register
语域：mixed 常见场景：正式或学术写作、语法或语言学讨论、日常描述物体或事物时 该词通常用于正式或书面语境，多出现在学术、科学和语法讨论中；日常口语里更常说 not alive 或 non-living。在语法中可表示“无生命（名词）”，但整体语气比较正式。
Grammar Note
通常作定语或表语，不接介词短语；用于描述无生命的事物。
Pronunciation & Spelling
Animate /ˈænɪmət/ is a true rhyme: from the stressed vowel onward, /ænɪmət/ matches inanimate /ɪnˈænɪmət/. Intimate, ultimate, and estimate (noun) share the spelling ending -imate and the weak final syllable /ɪmət/, but their stressed vowels differ, so they do not rhyme with inanimate. Be careful: the same spellings often become /eɪt/ in verbs, e.g., estimate /ˈestɪmeɪt/ and intimate /ˈɪntɪmeɪt/.
Learn the forms together
页面下方列出了常见词形变化。学习时注意它们在句子中的语法位置。
Dictionary facts from ECDICT, WIKTIONARY.