animation

play

noun an·i·ma·tion \ ˌa-nə-ˈmā-shən \

Definition of animation

1 :the act of animating :the state of being animate or animated

2 :animated cartoon

3 :the preparation of animated cartoons

See animation defined for English-language learners

See animation defined for kids

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 Web site has hundreds of animations you can download.

Recent Examples of animation from the Web

At last count, more than 70 percent of the animation students on the Valencia campus were female.

— robert ito, Los Angeles Magazine, "These Female Animators are Redrawing an Industry’s Gender Lines," 18 Aug. 2017
A local 3D animation firm is developing a platform in which Ravens players will practice against holographic players.

— jeff barker, baltimoresun.com, "In new deal, Ravens to enter 'mixed reality' with holographic players," 17 July 2017
Animators and filmmakers will talk about their work, share how kids can create their own films and what careers in filmmaking and animation await budding movie-makers.

— carolina gusman, sandiegouniontribune.com, "5 things you can do at Comic-Con on Family Day," 17 July 2017
The animation above includes images going back to 2006, collected by NASA and the United States Geologic Survey's Landsat satellites.

— calla cofield space.com staff writer, Fox News, "PHOTO: NASA shows dramatic picture of massive new Antarctic iceberg," 17 July 2017
Optimum Productions created the special and will produce, with animation production by Hammerhead. John Branca and John McClain, co-executors of the Estate of Michael Jackson,

— kate stanhope, Billboard, "Michael Jackson's Estate & CBS Team for Animated Halloween Special," 11 July 2017
In Soria, Paramount is getting a seasoned executive and producer to ramp up its animation business.

— ryan faughnder, latimes.com, "Paramount hires former DreamWorks Animation executive Mireille Soria to lead animation division," 10 July 2017
The company is known for merging live action with animation and looks to the silent film era for inspiration.

— janelle gelfand, Cincinnati.com, "Making magic with an animated 'Magic Flute'," 6 July 2017
Twisted Toonz The voices behind some of your favorite TV shows are coming together for this panel to discuss their careers and the business of animation.

— channing king, Indianapolis Star, "12 things to catch at Indy PopCon," 3 July 2017

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

First Known Use of animation

1597

animation Synonyms

Synonyms

vitality, briskness, exuberance, jazziness, liveliness, lustiness, peppiness, robustness, sprightliness, vibrance, vibrancy, vigorousness

Antonyms

inactivity, lifelessness

Related Words

buoyancy, jauntiness, springiness; brightness, cheer, cheerfulness, chirpiness, effervescence, friskiness, pizzazz (or pizazz), sparkle, spirit, verve, vivaciousness, vivacity; eagerness, ebullience, ebulliency, enthusiasm, keenness, spiritedness; friskiness, impishness, pertness, playfulness

Near Antonyms

indolence, laziness; anemia, bloodlessness; languidness, languor, lethargy, limpness, listlessness, sleepiness, sluggishness, spiritlessness, torpidity, torpor, weariness; apathy, impassivity; dullness (also dulness), pallidness, tediousness, tedium, vapidity, vapidness

ANIMATION Defined for English Language Learners

animation

play

noun

Definition of animation for English Language Learners

: a lively or excited quality
: a way of making a movie by using a series of drawings, computer graphics, or photographs of objects (such as puppets or models) that are slightly different from one another and that when viewed quickly one after another create the appearance of movement
: a movie or brief scene that is made this way