annotation

noun

an·​no·​ta·​tion ˌa-nə-ˈtā-shən 

1

: a note added by way of comment or explanation

The bibliography was provided with helpful annotations.

2

: the act of annotating something

Examples of annotation in a Sentence

Without the annotations, the diagram would be hard to understand.

the author's annotation of the diagram

Recent Examples on the Web

Employees can quickly scan the annotations and decide if the data sources are trustworthy and make sense. —Larry English, Forbes.com, 26 June 2025

The ePaper tablet has support for stylus input for scribbles, annotations and doodles using a range of Smart Scribe input tools. —New Atlas, 29 Apr. 2025

As part of the deal, Meta will take a 49% stake in the data-labelling and annotation startup, The Information reported, while Wang will help lead a new AI research lab at the social networking company and will be joined by some of his colleagues. —Jonathan Vanian,ashley Capoot, CNBC, 10 June 2025

Here’s what nobody talks about: temporal context in data annotation. —Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 29 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

see annotate

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for annotation

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

Kids Definition

annotation

noun

an·​no·​ta·​tion ˌan-ə-ˈtā-shən 

1

: the act of annotating

2

: a note added as a comment or explanation

Legal Definition

annotation

noun

an·​no·​ta·​tion ˌa-nə-ˈtā-shən 

1

: a note added (as to a statute) by way of comment or explanation often furnishing summaries of relevant court decisions

2

capitalized : an informational and descriptive note or essay (as about a case or legal issue) especially in American Law Reports