1. The belief that natural objects and phenomena possess a spiritual essence or life force, without necessarily being personified as individual spirits or deities.
Usage: anthropology; religious studies; often contrasted with animism

Examples

• Animatism differs from animism in that it attributes a general spiritual force to nature rather than individual spirits.
• Some scholars argue that animatism represents an earlier stage of religious belief than animism.
• The concept of animatism helps explain how certain cultures view the natural world as fundamentally alive and energetic.
• Anthropologists have identified animatism in various indigenous belief systems across different continents.