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

Pioneer Girl was ultimately published in 2014 with annotations. — Victoria Edel, PEOPLE, 11 July 2026

The book presents 366 Mountain Goats songs, one for each day of the year including one for February 29, along with notes from Darnielle that range from honest accounts detailing his former struggles with drug addiction to more cryptic annotations. — David Harris, SPIN, 6 July 2026

The software also includes PDF editing, form creation, password protection, compression, page management, annotations, and batch processing tools. — Stackcommerce Team, PC Magazine, 30 June 2026

The nuance and judgement needed is not that of the domain experts alone, but also the annotation on the edge case. — Anjana Susarla, Forbes.com, 25 June 2026

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