animus

Advancedzipf 2.70

Pronunciation

/ˈænɪməs/(AN-ih-mus)

Part of speech

nounformal

Chinese

敌意；恶意

Definition

Hostility or ill feeling; a motivating spirit or intention.

Word family

  • animosity/ˌænɪˈmɒsɪti/(n)仇恨

Collocations

  • personal animus
  • political animus
  • bear animus toward
  • animus against

Examples

  1. 1.The review was driven by personal animus rather than genuine literary criticism. (hostility)
  2. 2.There was no animus behind the decision — it was purely a matter of budget cuts. (ill will)

Synonyms

  • hostility/hɒˈstɪlɪti/— unfriendliness
  • animosity/ˌænɪˈmɒsɪti/— strong hostility
  • enmity/ˈɛnmɪti/— deep-seated hatred

Etymology

from Latin "animus" = spirit, mind, courage, anger — the animating spirit, here in its hostile sense