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

But the finer points of theories that Joey is anti-TDE grow specious, rooted in the same confirmation bias that populates the loftier reviewed Genius annotations. —Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 1 Apr. 2025

His team uses LLMs to complete questionnaires, add annotations on suspect transactions, and offer recommendations to human investigators about approving or rejecting them. —Christer Holloman, Forbes.com, 31 Mar. 2025

Scaling annotation efforts without sacrificing quality is difficult, especially given the pace at which AI technologies are evolving. —Siobhan Hanna, Forbes, 5 Mar. 2025

Across the nearly six-foot-tall Columbus Circle, NYC II, small x marks and annotations in black pen indicate observations from a two-week field study in 2017. —Mara Hoberman, Artforum, 1 Feb. 2025

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