Make Your Point: ANIMUS & ANIMOSITY

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pronounce these words:

Animus: "AN uh muss."

Animosity: "ann uh MOSS uh tee."

connect these words to others:

The words animus and animosity trace back to the Latin animus, meaning "the mind."

Animus also gave us words like

animal;

animate;

__anim___, meaning "of one mind: having full agreement within in a group;"

and anim__ver___n, which today means "strong criticism" but has Latin roots that literally mean "a turning of the mind toward (something)."

To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.

definitions:

"Animus" and "animosity" have the exact same meanings today. "Animosity" is more common, and "animus" is more formal.

They both came into English from the Latin word animus, "the mind." "Animus" came first, directly from Latin; "animosity" came later, through French.

The word "animus" in English first meant "the mind, the soul, or the spirit." But by the early 1800s, its meaning had narrowed, and today, animus (or an animus) is a hostile spirit, a hateful feeling.

Similarly, "animosity" in English first meant "spirit, courage, or liveliness" until its meaning narrowed into "a spirit of hatred." This narrowing took place even faster than it did for "animus:" as early as the 1600s, "animosity" has meant "open hatred, active hostility."

To sum that up, someone's animus or animosity is a strong feeling of dislike, or even disgust or hatred, toward some particular person or thing.

grammatical bits:

Part of speech:

They're nouns.

"Animus" is usually the uncountable kind ("I once felt animus toward him") but can also be the countable kind ("I once felt an animus toward him").

"Animosity" is often the uncountable kind ("I once felt animosity toward him") but is also pretty often the countable kind ("I once felt animosities toward him").

Other forms:

Because the noun "animus" is usually uncountable, we hardly ever use the plural, but if you need it, it's "animuses." The plural for "animosity" is fairly common, though: "animosities."

If you need an adjective, there's "animous," but it's extremely rare and likely to be misunderstood. How about "hostile," "hateful," or "inimical" instead?

how to use them:

When you want to a word for a deep, nasty hatred living inside someone, call it "animosity" if you want to sound quite serious, or "animus" to sound even more serious.

Talk about someone's animus or animosity to or toward some person or thing, or about the animus or animosity between certain groups. Or, say that someone bears an animus against someone, or feels or bears animosity against them.

You might point out how someone's animus or animosity has been fueled, justified, expressed, displayed, channeled, or suppressed.

Sometimes you might specify what kind of animus you're talking about, such as a racial animus or a political animus.

examples:

"Germany'’'s 1941 invasion of the Soviet Union was the culmination of Hitler’s animus toward communism."
— Brandan Simms, Wall Street Journal, 24 October 2025

animosity between the Abwehr and the Gestapo that they weren't allowed to frequent many of the same places because it would result in fights."
— Samantha Seiple, Nazi Saboteurs, 2019

has this page helped you understand "animus" and "animosity"?

Awesome, I'm glad it helped!

study them:

Explain the meaning of "animus" and "animosity" without saying "hate" or "hatred."

try one out:

In Me Talk Pretty One Day, David Sedaris wrote:

"Due to my general aversion to machines and a few pronounced episodes of screaming, I was labeled a technophobe, a term that ranks fairly low on my scale of fightin’ words. The word phobic has its place when properly used, but lately it’s been declawed by the pompous insistence that most animosity is based upon fear rather than loathing. No credit is given for distinguishing between these two very different emotions. I fear snakes. I hate computers. My hatred is entrenched, and I nourish it daily."

Okay, so Sedaris firmly believes that animosity is all about loathing, not necessarily fearing, and he bears a strong animosity toward computers. Totally understandable.

Could you give an example of an object, an event, a trend, or some other thing that fills you, personally, with animosity? And would you say that your animosity is all loathing and no fearing, or is it a mix?

before you review, play:

Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.

Our game this month is "Alliterate a Little; It'll Lift It."

I'll give you a phrase that doesn't alliterate, and you'll make it alliterate by changing one or both words—while preserving, as best you can, the meaning of the original.

For example: A car that demands too much fuel is a "gas guzzler." But what alliterative term could you invent for a dishwasher that demands too much detergent?

You could call it a "soap slurper," or a "detergent devourer."

Try this one today...

We love to hate "dirty deeds." But, what alliterative term could you invent for "empty promises"?

To see one possible answer, scroll all the way down.

review these words:

1. One opposite of ANIMUS and ANIMOSITY is

A. LOVE.
B. LUCK.
C. HEALTH.

2. A reviewer complained that a new theatrical monologue delivered by Mike Daisey "lacks the invigorating animus supplied by" the _____ in his previous works, like _____.

A. villains .. Amazon, Chinese supply chains, and "the corporatization of entertainment"
B. exaggerations .. the chore of meal planning, "something people move to New York specifically not to do"
C. metacommentary .. the introductory remark that "The management regrets to inform you that the role of Mike Daisey will be played by Mike Daisey"

a final word:

I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love.

I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words.

From my blog:
On vocabulary...
  36 ways to study words.
  Why we forget words, & how to remember them.
  How to use sophisticated words without being awkward.
On writing...
How to improve any sentence.
How to motivate our kids to write.
How to stop procrastinating and start writing.
How to bulk up your writing when you have to meet a word count.

From my heart: a profound thanks to the generous patrons, donors, and sponsors that make it possible for me to write these emails. If you'd like to be a patron or a donor, please click here. If you'd like to be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.

A disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes.

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