Afflatus
[ə-FLAY-dəs]
Part of speech: noun
Origin: Latin, mid 17th century
1.
(formal) A divine creative impulse or inspiration.
Examples of Afflatus in a sentence
"The priest praised the afflatus of the craftsmen for the new stained glass window."
"The exhibit seems to lack the afflatus that draws in spectators."
About Afflatus
Since afflatus is a noun that stands for divine enlightenment or inspiration, which incites an urge for creativity, a natural opposite would be discouragement — a complete loss of confidence or enthusiasm.
Did you Know?
The word afflatus was given the breath of life — literally. Afflatus comes from the Latin words for "to breathe on" and "to blow." Some artists describe inspiration as feeling like it was blown into them, which is probably where this connection was forged.
