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 of animation

• brightness
• liveliness
• vigorousness
• exuberance
• cheerfulness
• vibrancy
• briskness
• vitality
• sprightliness
• vibrance
• robustness
• enthusiasm
• spirit
• jazziness

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

Students in the College of Performance, Visualization and Fine Arts can complete a bachelor’s in visualization, which prepares students for careers in visual media, such as marketing and animation. —Milla Surjadi, Dallas Morning News, 16 Mar. 2026

Lyricist and playwright Howard Ashman is often credited for helping to spark the Disney animation Renaissance of the early-1990s. —Maureen Lee Lenker, Entertainment Weekly, 16 Mar. 2026

The sequel will mark the first project under the pair's exclusive multiyear writing and directing deal across animation. —Shafiq Najib, ABC News, 15 Mar. 2026

Early concept art has been developed in collaboration with the Oscar and Emmy-award-winning animation studio ShadowMachine, which can be found below. —Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 15 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1597, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing animation

• suspended animation
• with animation

Rhymes for animation

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

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