animal

American  

[an-uh-muhl] / ˈæn ə məl /

noun

1. any member of the kingdom Animalia, comprising multicellular organisms that have a well-defined shape and usually limited growth, can move voluntarily, actively acquire food and digest it internally, and have sensory and nervous systems that allow them to respond rapidly to stimuli: some classification schemes also include protozoa and certain other single-celled eukaryotes that have motility and animallike nutritional modes.

2. any such living thing other than a human being.

3. a mammal, as opposed to a fish, bird, etc.

4. the physical, sensual, or carnal nature of human beings; animality.

   the animal in every person.

5. an inhuman person; brutish or beastlike person.

   She married an animal.

   Synonyms:

   monster

6. thing.

   A perfect job? Is there any such animal?

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adjective

1. of, relating to, or derived from animals.

   animal instincts; animal fats.

2. pertaining to the physical, sensual, or carnal nature of humans, rather than their spiritual or intellectual nature.

   animal needs.

   Synonyms:

   brutal, beastly, physical, fleshly

animal British  

/ ˈænɪməl /

noun

1. zoology any living organism characterized by voluntary movement, the possession of cells with noncellulose cell walls and specialized sense organs enabling rapid response to stimuli, and the ingestion of complex organic substances such as plants and other animals

2. any mammal, esp any mammal except man

3. a brutish person

4. facetious a person or thing (esp in the phrase no such animal )

5. informal a very dirty car

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adjective

1. of, relating to, or derived from animals

   animal products

   an animal characteristic

2. of or relating to the physical needs or desires; carnal; sensual

animal Scientific  

/ ăn′ə-məl /

1. Any of the multicellular organisms belonging to the kingdom Animalia. All animals are eukaryotes, with each of their cells having a nucleus containing DNA. Most animals develop from a blastula and have a digestive tract, nervous system, the ability to move voluntarily, and specialized sensory organs for recognizing and responding to stimuli in the environment. Animals are heterotrophs, feeding on plants, other animals, or organic matter. The first animals probably evolved from protists and appeared during the Precambrian Era.

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Usage

What does animal mean? In the field of science, an animal is a living thing that meets specific requirements:

• It is made up of more than one cell.
• It has a well-defined shape and limited growth.
• It can move voluntarily.
• It can get its own food and digest it within itself.
• It has sensory and nervous systems that allow it to react to its environment.

This definition includes human beings. Outside of scientific usage, animal is used in several ways. Most commonly, an animal is a living being that meets the above requirements but is not a human being. An animal can be just a mammal, that is, an animal that has fur, gives birth, and produces milk. A dog is a mammal, for example, while a fish is not. Animal is also used to describe something that is related to or comes from an animal, such as animal fats (fats that come from an animal) or animal behavior, which is often separate from human behavior. Example: Scientists have discovered a new group of animals that live in the extreme depths of the Great Barrier Reef.

Related Words

Animal, beast, brute refer to sentient creatures as distinct from minerals and plants; figuratively, they usually connote qualities and characteristics below the human level. Animal is the general word; figuratively, it applies merely to the body or to animal-like characteristics: An athlete is a magnificent animal. Beast refers to four-footed animals; figuratively, it suggests a base, sensual nature: A glutton is a beast. Brute implies absence of ability to reason; figuratively, it connotes savagery as well: a drunken brute. See carnal.

Other Word Forms

• animalian adjective
• animalic adjective
• nonanimal noun
• semianimal noun
• superanimal adjective

Etymology

Origin of animal

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English (from Old French ), from Latin, noun derivative (with loss of final vowel and shortening of ā ) of animāle, neuter of animālis “living, animate,” equivalent to anim(a) “air, breath” + -ālis; English adjective also directly from Latin animālis; see -al ¹;

Explanation

An animal is a particular kind of living organism, one that can move voluntarily and can find and digest food. Your favorite animal might be the naked mole rat, but probably not. Although a human is biologically an animal, the word often distinguishes humans from other kinds of animals, like when scientists talk about diseases passing from animals to people. Sometimes the word animal means a cruel, violent, or uncivilized person: "He just destroyed my house at the party last night — what an animal!" The Latin word for "soul," anima, led to animale, or "living being, a being that breathes." Before 1500, the word "beast" was much more commonly used than animal.

Example Sentences

Humans are incredibly efficient at plant and animal domestication, the process of selecting and curating prosocial hereditary traits for our own benefit.

From Salon • Apr. 23, 2026

By studying three Captorhinus specimens from Richards Spur, researchers were able to piece together how this animal breathed.

From Science Daily • Apr. 23, 2026

Even at the lower end of that range, the animal would have been enormous by today's standards.

From BBC • Apr. 23, 2026

He said he had been quoted prices of about £300 for his two dogs for the new animal health certificates, with a cost of £85 each for new rabies vaccinations required to get the certification.

From BBC • Apr. 22, 2026

“Right now I don’t know,” Grandpa said, “but we’re going to catch them just the same. There never was an animal that couldn’t be caught. All we have to do is figure out a way.”

From "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls

Related Words

• beast
• creature
• pet