annotation

noun

an·​no·​ta·​tion ˌa-nə-ˈtā-shən 

1

: a note added by way of comment or explanation

The bibliography was provided with helpful annotations.

2

: the act of annotating something

Examples of annotation in a Sentence

Without the annotations, the diagram would be hard to understand.

the author's annotation of the diagram

Recent Examples on the Web

This novel comes to readers in the form of a poem—one written by a fictional poet and accompanied by annotations from the poet’s (also fictional) colleague. — Caroline Rogers, Southern Living, 22 Aug. 2026

The form toolkit supports creating interactive forms or completing existing ones with text, checkboxes, shapes, and annotations. — Stackcommerce Team, PC Magazine, 21 Aug. 2026

The hundred-and-ninety-two-page document appeared to be an incomplete draft, and was filled with annotations, in bright-red text, about factual errors and unsourced claims. — Ruby Cramer, New Yorker, 13 Aug. 2026

At scale, human annotation teams produce varying quality across data sources. — Lucas Zhao, Forbes.com, 27 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

see annotate

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for annotation

• abdication
• aberration
• abjuration
• abnegation
• abrogation
• acceptation
• acclamation
• acclimation
• accusation
• activation
• actuation
• acylation

Kids Definition

annotation

noun

an·​no·​ta·​tion ˌan-ə-ˈtā-shən 

1

: the act of annotating

2

: a note added as a comment or explanation

Legal Definition

annotation

noun

an·​no·​ta·​tion ˌa-nə-ˈtā-shən 

1

: a note added (as to a statute) by way of comment or explanation often furnishing summaries of relevant court decisions

2

capitalized : an informational and descriptive note or essay (as about a case or legal issue) especially in American Law Reports