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animated

adjective
an·​i·​mat·​ed | \ -ˌmā-təd \

Definition of animated 

1a : endowed with life or the qualities of life : alive animated creatures
b : full of movement and activity an animated crowd
c : full of vigor and spirit : lively an animated discussion
2 : having the appearance of something alive an unusually animated piece of sculpture
3 : made in the form of an animated cartoon an animated film
Other Words from animated Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym Did You Know? More Example Sentences Learn More about animated

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Other Words from animated

animatedly adverb

Choose the Right Synonym for animated

lively, animated, vivacious, sprightly, gay mean keenly alive and spirited. lively suggests briskness, alertness, or energy. a lively debate on the issues animated applies to what is spirited and active. an animated discussion of current events vivacious suggests an activeness of gesture and wit, often playful or alluring. a vivacious party host sprightly suggests lightness and spirited vigor of manner or wit. a tuneful, sprightly musical gay stresses complete freedom from care and overflowing spirits. the gay spirit of Paris in the 1920s

Did You Know?

Animated cartoon characters have been "given life" by film techniques, though the animation of drawings actually goes back to handheld toys in the 1830s. A child watching the cartoon may also be animated—squealing, laughing, and jumping around—as can a crowd of hockey fans or a rock-concert audience. And the best discussions and arguments are often highly animated.

Examples of animated in a Sentence

She gave an animated description of the project. After dinner, the discussion got more animated. Many movies for kids are animated rather than live-action.
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Recent Examples on the Web

 And the 1978 animated film is definitely too violent and terrifying for them. — Taylor Antrim, Vogue, "Netflix’s Watership Down Is Not (Really) for Kids—And That’s a Good Thing," 22 Dec. 2018 This animated film will give you the adorable answer. — Lauren Rearick, Teen Vogue, "Christmas Movies on Netflix You Can Stream During the Holidays," 19 Dec. 2018 Apparently, as Whoopi angrily remarked, some folks online are now complaining that the 1964 animated film makes Santa Claus out to be a bully. — Kayla Keegan, Good Housekeeping, "'The View' Star Meghan McCain Completely Lost It Over Whoopi Goldberg's Epic Rant on Thursday," 30 Nov. 2018 The trailer does a shot-for-shot reimagination of the original animated opening, complete with a most adorable Simba and a brief appearance from Rafiki. — Lauren Rearick, Teen Vogue, "Disney Debuted the Trailer for "The Lion King" Live-Action Movie," 22 Nov. 2018 Given that children from the ages of 10 on up can partake in The Void’s shows, there’s as much room for an arcade-style experience with familiar animated characters as there is for anything else. — Bryan Bishop, The Verge, "The Void’s Ralph Breaks VR puts players inside a giant interactive Disney movie," 21 Nov. 2018 Iceland had intended to run version of an animated video from environmental group Greenpeace, created by ad agency Mother London, telling the story of an orangutan whose rain forest habitat had been destroyed by palm-oil growers. — Lara O’reilly, WSJ, "The John Lewis Christmas Ad Is Here. But Is the Bauble Bursting?," 15 Nov. 2018 Doctors and nurses enter patient information, including age, length of stay and admission date, into the software, and an animated map shows where patients are coming from and when. — Mallory Locklear, Discover Magazine, "With Big Data and Predictive Analytics, Scientists Are Getting Smarter About Outbreaks," 8 Nov. 2018 As PopSugar reports, Disney Peter Pan Mermaid Lagoon: A 1953 Collection features eight products, all inspired by one of the best scenes in Disney's animated Peter Pan. — Leah Prinzivalli, Allure, "Besamé’s New Vintage Mermaid Collection Is Inspired By Our Favorite Scene From Disney’s Peter Pan," 26 Oct. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'animated.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of animated

1534, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

History and Etymology for animated

see animate entry 1

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Learn More about animated

Statistics for animated

Last Updated

27 Dec 2018

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for animated

The first known use of animated was in 1534

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More Definitions for animated

animated

adjective

English Language Learners Definition of animated

: full of life and energy

: produced by the creation of a series of drawings, pictures, etc., that are shown quickly one after another : produced through the process of animation

See the full definition for animated in the English Language Learners Dictionary

animated

adjective
an·​i·​mat·​ed | \ ˈa-nə-ˌmā-təd \

Kids Definition of animated

1 : full of life and energy : lively an animated discussion
2 : appearing to be alive or moving animated cartoon characters

animated

adjective
an·​i·​mat·​ed | \ -ˌmāt-əd \

Medical Definition of animated 

1 : endowed with life or the qualities of life
2 : full of movement and activity

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More from Merriam-Webster on animated

Rhyming Dictionary: Words that rhyme with animated

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for animated

Spanish Central: Translation of animated

Nglish: Translation of animated for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of animated for Arabic Speakers

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