animated

1 of 2

adjective

an·​i·​mat·​ed ˈa-nə-ˌmā-təd How to pronounce animated (audio)
1
a
: 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
animatedly adverb

animated

2 of 2

past and past participle of animate

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.

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

Examples of animated in a Sentence

Adjective 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.
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
How does Apple’s new motion sickness feature work, exactly? Vehicle Motion Cues is designed to help combat the sensory mismatch that can trigger motion sickness using little animated black dots that hover on the sides of your screen. Lauren Mazzo, SELF, 27 Sep. 2024 Netflix had an equally massive January-to-June, in part because of all NBCUniversal’s animated movies available on the streamer. Tony Maglio, IndieWire, 26 Sep. 2024 Talk then about when you were first approached about the prospect of bringing Everybody Hates Chris back as an animated series, and what was your gut reaction? Brande Victorian, The Hollywood Reporter, 24 Sep. 2024 Gods and Monsters begins this year with the animated Creature Commandos series in December. Nick Romano, EW.com, 23 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for animated 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'animated.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

see animate entry 1

First Known Use

Adjective

1534, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of animated was in 1534

Dictionary Entries Near animated

Cite this Entry

“Animated.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/animated. Accessed 10 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

animated

adjective
an·​i·​mat·​ed ˈan-ə-ˌmāt-əd How to pronounce animated (audio)
1
: full of life and energy : lively
2
: appearing to be alive or moving
3
: made in the form of an animated cartoon
an animated movie
animatedly adverb

Medical Definition

animated

adjective
an·​i·​mat·​ed -ˌmāt-əd How to pronounce animated (audio)
1
: endowed with life or the qualities of life
2
: full of movement and activity

More from Merriam-Webster on animated

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