animus

noun

an·​i·​mus ˈa-nə-məs 

1

: a usually prejudiced and often spiteful or malevolent ill will

harbored an animus toward them

… the sixties mentality, with its strong animus against what it defines as "elitism" …

—Daniel J. Singal

2

: basic attitude or governing spirit : disposition, intention

3

: an inner masculine part of the female personality in the analytical psychology of Carl Gustav Jung compare anima

Did you know?

Animus has long referred to the rational or animating components of a person's psyche (it derives from Latin animus, which can mean "spirit," "mind," "courage," or "anger"). Since a key animating component of personality can be temper, the word came to mean animosity, especially ill will that is driven by strong prejudice. The term is also used in the analytic psychology of C. G. Jung in reference to an inner masculine part of the female personality. The English animus is closely related to words such as animosity, magnanimous, and unanimous, but it is not as closely related to other similar-looking terms such as animal and animate. Those latter terms derive from the Latin anima, a distinct term that means "soul" or "breath" and that suggests someone's physical vitality or life force—the breath of life.

Synonyms

• animosity
• antagonism
• antipathy
• bad blood
• bitterness
• enmity
• gall
• grudge
• hostility
• jaundice
• rancor

Choose the Right Synonym for animus

enmity, hostility, antipathy, antagonism, animosity, rancor, animus mean deep-seated dislike or ill will.

enmity suggests positive hatred which may be open or concealed.

an unspoken enmity

hostility suggests an enmity showing itself in attacks or aggression.

hostility between the two nations

antipathy and antagonism imply a natural or logical basis for one's hatred or dislike, antipathy suggesting repugnance, a desire to avoid or reject, and antagonism suggesting a clash of temperaments leading readily to hostility.

a natural antipathy for self-seekers

antagonism between the brothers

animosity suggests intense ill will and vindictiveness that threaten to kindle hostility.

animosity that led to revenge

rancor is especially applied to bitter brooding over a wrong.

rancor filled every line of his letters

animus adds to animosity the implication of strong prejudice.

objections devoid of personal animus

Examples of animus in a Sentence

She felt an animus against them.

feeling no animus toward those who had wronged her

Recent Examples on the Web

The reason for this shift is obvious: Anti-LGBTQ animus is still socially acceptable. —Morgan Polikoff, The Mercury News, 28 Mar. 2024

But the group says that her use of certain phrases and words demonstrated a pattern of willful anti-Black animus. —Jeremy W. Peters, New York Times, 22 Mar. 2024

Whether recollections of racial animus or confessions of desire, the spoken words with which Pigossi and Bland are saddled echo an amateurish high school stage productions. —Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 9 Mar. 2024

Violent crimes are common, amid a struggling economy, a housing crisis, an opioid epidemic and persistent racial animus among many locals against Indigenous people arriving from reserves across Northern Ontario. —Jordan Michael Smith, Smithsonian Magazine, 13 Feb. 2024

In the first of its three episodes, Murder pulls back to explore how Boston’s history of turbulent race relations — specifically the 1974 school desegregation ruling — revealed a city that was just one inciting incident away from an explosion of violent animus. —EW.com, 27 Nov. 2023

Some locals placed blame for the shooting on a Black man, igniting racial animus among the city’s white population. —Natalie Wallington, Kansas City Star, 27 Feb. 2024

The indictment unsealed in California federal court portrays Mr. Smirnov as a serial liar whose motivation for targeting the Bidens appeared to have been rooted in the same political animus that drove Republicans to promote his claims. —Glenn Thrush, New York Times, 23 Feb. 2024

But some Democratic supporters of Biden's are worried that any animus shown toward the president now could cost him votes in the general election. —Todd Spangler, Detroit Free Press, 21 Feb. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Latin, spirit, mind, courage, anger

First Known Use

1795, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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Medical Definition

animus

noun

an·​i·​mus ˈan-ə-məs 

: an inner masculine part of the female personality in the analytical psychology of C. G. Jung compare anima sense 1

Legal Definition

animus

noun

an·​i·​mus ˈa-nə-məs 

: intent

discriminatory animus

compare mens rea

Etymology

Latin, mind, soul