enliven
verb/ɪnˈlaɪvn/
/ɪnˈlaɪvn/
(formal)Verb Forms
present simple I / you / we / they enliven | /ɪnˈlaɪvn/ /ɪnˈlaɪvn/ |
he / she / it enlivens | /ɪnˈlaɪvnz/ /ɪnˈlaɪvnz/ |
past simple enlivened | /ɪnˈlaɪvnd/ /ɪnˈlaɪvnd/ |
past participle enlivened | /ɪnˈlaɪvnd/ /ɪnˈlaɪvnd/ |
-ing form enlivening | /ɪnˈlaɪvnɪŋ/ /ɪnˈlaɪvnɪŋ/ |
- enliven something to make something more interesting or more funWord Originmid 17th cent. (in the sense ‘restore to life, give life to’; formerly also as inliven): from 16th-cent. enlive, inlive (in the same sense), from en-, in- (as an intensifier) + life.
Take your English to the next level
The Oxford Learner’s Thesaurus explains the difference between groups of similar words. Try it for free as part of the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary app
Check pronunciation:
enliven