animation

noun

an·​i·​ma·​tion ˌa-nə-ˈmā-shən 

plural animations

1

: the act of animating : the state of being animate or animated

2

: a movie, scene, or sequence that simulates movement from a series of still frames (such as drawings, computer graphics, or photographs of inanimate objects moved incrementally)

His work often condenses stories of intricate subjects into brief looping animations.

—Paul Tough

The work, titled Bigger Christmas Trees, was created on an iPad and features ten minutes of animation.

—Julia Binswanger

And as the animation above shows, this tilt causes the Moon's shadow to miss the Earth.

—Tom Yulsman

3

: the preparation of animation (as for animated cartoons, video games, commercials, etc.)

Synonyms

• briskness
• exuberance
• jazziness
• liveliness
• lustiness
• peppiness
• robustness
• sprightliness
• vibrance
• vibrancy
• vigorousness
• vitality

Examples of animation in a Sentence

The animation for the film took over two years to complete.

The studio used computer animation for some of the special effects.

The website has hundreds of animations you can download.

Recent Examples on the Web

The company, which was founded by Stan Spry and Jeff Holland, reps talent across literary, animation, and unscripted television and also produces and finances shows such as Syfy’s Day of the Dead, Netflix’s Twelve Forever and Tubi’s Breaking Bear. —Peter White, Deadline, 12 Dec. 2024

But with the rebrand, General Mills has gone all in on 3D animation. —Nicholas Gordon, Fortune Asia, 11 Dec. 2024

The guild represents more than 6,000 artists, technicians, writers and production workers in the animation industry. —Wendy Lee, Los Angeles Times, 11 Dec. 2024

Known for her work as a cartoonist, filmmaker, and country music preservationist, McAdams brought a distinctive DIY sensibility to Chicago’s experimental film scene in the 1980s with handmade animations and personal documentaries. —Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 11 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1597, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing animation

• suspended animation
• with animation

Kids Definition

animation

noun

an·​i·​ma·​tion ˌan-ə-ˈmā-shən 

1

: the state of being animate or animated

2

a

: a film made by photographing a series of positions of objects (as puppets)

b

: animated cartoon

3

: the making of animations

Medical Definition

animation

noun

an·​i·​ma·​tion ˌan-ə-ˈmā-shən 

: the state of being animate or animated see suspended animation