What does "energy" mean?
The impetus behind all motion and all activity.
Energy
/ˈɛnəɹd͡ʒi/ noun
noun ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: The impetus behind all motion and all activity.
- Grammar: energy is listed as noun.
- Nearest alternatives: enthusiasm, ability to cause change, action, activeness.
- Useful contrasts: drained energy, incomplete energy, mental exhaustion.
- Usage evidence: At this stage there is still not a clear energy policy for bringing decentralised power to rural areas.
How to use "energy"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "energy" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "energy" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "energy" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "energy" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "energy" is acting as noun in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "enthusiasm" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "energy", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 The impetus behind all motion and all activity. countable, uncountable
"A “moving platform” scheme[…]is more technologically ambitious than maglev trains even though it relies on conventional rails.[…]This set-up solves several problems […]. Stopping high-speed trains wastes energy and time, so why not simply slow them down enough for a moving platform to pull alongside?"
- 2 an imaginative lively style (especially style of writing) wordnet
- 3 The capacity to do work. countable, uncountable
"There is an hour or two, after the passengers have embarked, which is disquieting and fussy.[…]Stewards, carrying cabin trunks, swarm in the corridors. Passengers wander restlessly about or hurry, with futile energy, from place to place."
- 4 enterprising or ambitious drive wordnet
- 5 A quantity that denotes the ability to do work and is measured in a unit dimensioned in mass × distance²/time² (ML²/T²) or the equivalent. countable, uncountable
"SI: joule (J), kilowatt-hour (kW·h) CGS: erg (erg) Customary: foot-pound-force, calorie, kilocalorie (i.e. dietary calories), BTU, liter-atmosphere, ton of TNT"
Show 9 more definitions
- 6 forceful exertion wordnet
- 7 An intangible, modifiable force (usually characterized as either 'positive' or 'negative') believed in some New Age religions to emanate from a person, place or thing and which is (or can be) preserved and transferred in human interactions; shared mood or group habit. countable, uncountable
"Reiki, much like prayer, is a personal exercise that can easily convert negative energy into positive energy."
- 8 the federal department responsible for maintaining a national energy policy of the United States; created in 1977 wordnet
- 9 The external actions and influences resulting from an entity’s internal nature (ousia) and by which it is made manifest, as opposed to that internal nature itself; the aspect of an entity that can affect the wider world and be apprehended by other beings. countable, in-plural, often, uncountable
"The three Persons of the Holy Trinity have the same opinion, make the same decision, and put forth the same energy and action."
- 10 any source of usable power wordnet
- 11 A measure of how many actions a player or unit can take; in the fantasy genre often called magic points or mana. countable, uncountable
- 12 (physics) a thermodynamic quantity equivalent to the capacity of a physical system to do work; the units of energy are joules or ergs wordnet
- 13 An atmosphere, aura, or vibe. Internet, countable, uncountable
"big dick energy; divorced guy energy; main character energy"
- 14 a healthy capacity for vigorous activity wordnet
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
drained energyincomplete energymental exhaustionphysical fatigue
Example
"At this stage there is still not a clear energy policy for bringing decentralised power to rural areas."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "energy"?
Common synonyms include: enthusiasm, ability to cause change, action, activeness, activity, adrenaline.
How do you use "energy" in a sentence?
At this stage there is still not a clear energy policy for bringing decentralised power to rural areas.
How do you pronounce "energy"?
Pronounced /ˈɛnəɹd͡ʒi/.
Etymology
From Middle French énergie, from Late Latin energia, from Ancient Greek ἐνέργεια (enérgeia, “activity”), from ἐνεργός (energós, “active”), from ἐν (en, “in”) + ἔργον (érgon, “work”). The sense in physics was coined by English polymath Thomas Young in 1802 in his lectures on Natural Philosophy.