animator

noun

an·​i·​ma·​tor ˈa-nə-ˌmā-tər 

plural animators

: someone or something that animates: such as

a

: an artist who is involved in creating animation for cartoons, films, video games, etc.

b

: a person who leads and encourages participation in an activity

… community animators mobilize individuals and organizations …

—Laura Payton and Bruce Deachman

Examples of animator in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Speaking with Variety, Akihiko Yamashita spent nearly two years working as the supervising animator on the Studio Ghibli film. —Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 4 Sep. 2025

Disney Legend Andreas Deja – the former animator behind iconic villains like Gaston, Jafar and Scar – is consulting on the land. —Eve Chen, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2025

In addition to directing the installment, Ohira is also a character designer and key animator for the short. —Tariq Malik, Space.com, 25 Aug. 2025

Skipping a week between episodes gives the writers, animators along with the crew and voice actors a little bit of breathing room. —Meredith G. White, AZCentral.com, 20 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1565, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for animator

• activator
• actuator
• agitator
• alligator
• allocator
• alternator
• annotator
• applicator
• arbitrator
• aspirator
• aviator
• calculator

Kids Definition

animator

noun

an·​i·​ma·​tor ˈan-ə-ˌmāt-ər 

: someone who makes an animated cartoon