as in to stimulate
to give life, vigor, or spirit to
in most instances it's a good idea to enliven a speech with a joke or two
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Recent Examples of enliven
Idiomatic ornaments enlivened the repeat sections; these had a particularly exhilarating impact in Variation 5, amid sixteenth notes of already breathtaking effortlessness.
—
Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 10 Mar. 2025
Between the topsy-turvy placements and the demonic energy coming from just about everyone else, the episode manages to enliven a season that was trending stale.
—Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 7 Mar. 2025
Dope Thief enlivens the formula with a pair of performances from Brian Tyree Henry and Wagner Moura that plunge us into the depths of male loneliness, then pull us out of the dark with a tender, vulnerable friendship that is as gooey and soft as the show surrounding it is bleak and bloody.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 14 Mar. 2025
For almost 36 minutes of the match, there was no score and few events to speak of, but a short spurt late in the middle frame enlivened the action and left the Ducks up 1-0 at the second intermission.
—Andrew Knoll, Orange County Register, 15 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for enliven
Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 10 Mar. 2025
Between the topsy-turvy placements and the demonic energy coming from just about everyone else, the episode manages to enliven a season that was trending stale.
—Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 7 Mar. 2025
Dope Thief enlivens the formula with a pair of performances from Brian Tyree Henry and Wagner Moura that plunge us into the depths of male loneliness, then pull us out of the dark with a tender, vulnerable friendship that is as gooey and soft as the show surrounding it is bleak and bloody.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 14 Mar. 2025
For almost 36 minutes of the match, there was no score and few events to speak of, but a short spurt late in the middle frame enlivened the action and left the Ducks up 1-0 at the second intermission.
—Andrew Knoll, Orange County Register, 15 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for enliven
Cite this Entry
“Enliven.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/enliven. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.
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