noun · 12 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
/ˌæn.ɪˈmeɪ.ʃən/
US:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
South-Asia:/ə.nɪˈme.ʃən/
rhymes with -eɪʃən
CMU ARPABET:AE2 N AH0 M EY1 SH AH0 N
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
The act of animating, or giving life or spirit.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
A sequence of still drawings or inanimate objects displayed in rapid succession to create the illusion of movement in motion pictures or computer graphics; the object (film, computer game, etc.) produced
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
Qualifier: animation
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
noun
Meaning 3
The state of being lively, brisk, or full of spirit and vigor; vivacity; spiritedness
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
Examples
He recited the story with great animation.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
4
noun
Meaning 4
The condition of being animate (alive or supernaturally seeming alive).
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: animacy, animateness
Antonyms: none provided
5
noun
Meaning 5
conversion from the inanimate to animate grammatical category
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
Topics: human-sciences, linguistics, sciences
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
6
noun
Meaning 6
Activities offered by a holiday resort encompassing activities that include movement, joy, leisure and spectacle, such as games, sports, shows, events, etc.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
7
noun
Meaning 7
general activity and motion
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: liveliness
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: activity
8
noun
Meaning 8
the making of animated cartoons
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
the condition of living or the state of being alive
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
while there's life there's hope
life depends on many chemical and physical processes
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: life, living, aliveness
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: being, beingness, existence
Narrower terms: eternal life, life eternal, skin, survival, endurance
History
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h2enh1- Proto-Indo-European *-mos Proto-Indo-European *h2enh1mos Proto-Italic *anamos Latin animus Latin anima Proto-Indo-European *-h2 Proto-Indo-European *-éh2 Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-eh2yéti Proto-Indo-European *-h2tiinflu. Proto-Italic *-ājō Proto-Italic *-āō Latin -ō Latin animō Proto-Indo-European *-tis Proto-Indo-European *-Hō Proto-Indo-European *-tiHō Proto-Italic *-tiō Latin -tiō Latin animatiōlbor. English animation Learned borrowing from Latin animatiō, from animō, equivalent to animate + -ion.
Across languages
Translations
116 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Bulgarian:
съживя́ване
(sǎživjávane)
— the act of animating
Czech:
animování
— the act of animating
Czech:
oživení
— the act of animating
Danish:
animation
— the act of animating
Finnish:
elävöittäminen
— the act of animating
French:
animation
— the act of animating
French:
invigoration
— the act of animating
Georgian:
გაცოცხლება
(gacocxleba)
— the act of animating
German:
Belebung
— the act of animating
German:
Vitalisierung
— the act of animating
Ido:
animo
— the act of animating
Indonesian:
animasi
— the act of animating
Italian:
ravvivamento
— the act of animating
Italian:
animazione
— the act of animating
Italian:
vivificazione
— the act of animating
Latin:
animātiō
— the act of animating
Māori:
hākoritanga
— the act of animating
Portuguese:
animação
— the act of animating
Romanian:
animare
— the act of animating
Romanian:
însuflețire
— the act of animating
Russian:
оживле́ние
(oživlénije)
— the act of animating
Russian:
одушевле́ние
(oduševlénije)
— the act of animating
Scottish Gaelic:
beothachadh
— the act of animating
Slovak:
oživenie
— the act of animating
Spanish:
vivificación
— the act of animating
Spanish:
animación
— the act of animating
Swedish:
animering
— the act of animating
Albanian:
animacion
— causing images to appear to move
Arabic:
إِحْيَاء
(ʔiḥyāʔ)
— causing images to appear to move
Arabic:
تَحْرِيك
(taḥrīk)
— causing images to appear to move
Arabic:
تَحْرِيك صُوَر
(taḥrīk ṣuwar)
— causing images to appear to move
Armenian:
անիմացիա
(animacʻia)
— causing images to appear to move
Armenian:
մուլտիպլիկացիա
(multiplikacʻia)
— causing images to appear to move
Azerbaijani:
animasiya
— causing images to appear to move
Azerbaijani:
multiplikasiya
— causing images to appear to move
Belarusian:
аніма́цыя
(animácyja)
— causing images to appear to move
Belarusian:
мультыпліка́цыя
(mulʹtyplikácyja)
— causing images to appear to move
Bengali:
অ্যানিমেশন
(ênimeśon)
— causing images to appear to move
Bulgarian:
анима́ция
(animácija)
— causing images to appear to move
Burmese:
အန်နီမေးရှင်း
(annime:hrang:)
— causing images to appear to move
Catalan:
animació
— causing images to appear to move
Chinese Mandarin:
動畫 /动画
(dònghuà)
— causing images to appear to move
Chinese Mandarin:
動漫 /动漫
(dòngmàn)
— causing images to appear to move
Czech:
animace
— causing images to appear to move
Danish:
animation
— causing images to appear to move
Dutch:
animatie
— causing images to appear to move
Esperanto:
animacio
— causing images to appear to move
Estonian:
animatsioon
— causing images to appear to move
Estonian:
multiplikatsioon
— causing images to appear to move
Finnish:
animaatio
— causing images to appear to move
Finnish:
animointi
— causing images to appear to move
French:
animation
— causing images to appear to move
Galician:
animación
— causing images to appear to move
Georgian:
ანიმაცია
(animacia)
— causing images to appear to move
Georgian:
მულტიპლიკაცია
(mulṭiṗliḳacia)
— causing images to appear to move
German:
Animation
— causing images to appear to move
Greek:
απεικόνιση
(apeikónisi)
— causing images to appear to move
Hebrew:
הַנְפָּשָׁה
(hanpashá)
— causing images to appear to move
Hindi:
एनिमेशन
(enimeśan)
— causing images to appear to move
Hungarian:
élénkség
— causing images to appear to move
Hungarian:
elevenség
— causing images to appear to move
Icelandic:
hreyfimynd
— causing images to appear to move
Indonesian:
animasi
— causing images to appear to move
Irish:
beochan
— causing images to appear to move
Italian:
animazione
— causing images to appear to move
Japanese:
アニメーション
(animēshon)
— causing images to appear to move
Japanese:
アニメ
— causing images to appear to move
Kazakh:
анимация
(animasiä)
— causing images to appear to move
Kazakh:
мультипликация
(multiplikasiä)
— causing images to appear to move
Korean:
애니메이션
(aenimeisyeon)
— causing images to appear to move
Korean:
아니메
— causing images to appear to move
Northern Kurdish:
anîmasyon
— causing images to appear to move
Kyrgyz:
анимация
(animatsiya)
— causing images to appear to move
Kyrgyz:
мультипликация
(multiplikatsiya)
— causing images to appear to move
Latvian:
animācija
— causing images to appear to move
Latvian:
multiplikācija
— causing images to appear to move
Lithuanian:
animacija
— causing images to appear to move
Lithuanian:
multiplikacija
— causing images to appear to move
Macedonian:
анимација
(animacija)
— causing images to appear to move
Malay:
animasi
— causing images to appear to move
Malay:
dalangan
— causing images to appear to move
Māori:
hākoritanga
— causing images to appear to move
Norwegian Bokmål:
animasjon
— causing images to appear to move
Norwegian Nynorsk:
animasjon
— causing images to appear to move
Iranian Persian:
اَنیمِیْشِن
(animeyšen)
— causing images to appear to move
Iranian Persian:
پویانَمایی
(puyânamâyi)
— causing images to appear to move
Polish:
animacja
— causing images to appear to move
Portuguese:
animação
— causing images to appear to move
Romanian:
animație
— causing images to appear to move
Russian:
анима́ция
(animácija)
— causing images to appear to move
Russian:
мультиплика́ция
(mulʹtiplikácija)
— causing images to appear to move
Scottish Gaelic:
beothachadh
— causing images to appear to move
Serbo-Croatian:
анима́ција
— causing images to appear to move
Serbo-Croatian:
animácija
— causing images to appear to move
Sinhalese:
සජීවිකරණය
(sajīwikaraṇaya)
— causing images to appear to move
Slovak:
animácia
— causing images to appear to move
Slovene:
animacija
— causing images to appear to move
Spanish:
animación
— causing images to appear to move
Swahili:
uhaishaji
— causing images to appear to move
Swedish:
animation
— causing images to appear to move
Tajik:
аниматсия
(animatsiya)
— causing images to appear to move
Tajik:
мултипликатсия
(multiplikatsiya)
— causing images to appear to move
Tajik:
пӯёнамоӣ
(püyonamoyi)
— causing images to appear to move
Thai:
แอนิเมชัน
(ɛɛ-ní-mee-chân)
— causing images to appear to move
Turkish:
animasyon
— causing images to appear to move
Turkmen:
animasiýa
— causing images to appear to move
Turkmen:
multiplikasiýa
— causing images to appear to move
Ukrainian:
аніма́ція
(animácija)
— causing images to appear to move
Ukrainian:
мультипліка́ція
(mulʹtyplikácija)
— causing images to appear to move
Urdu:
اینی میشَن
(enī meśan)
— causing images to appear to move
Uzbek:
animatsiya
— causing images to appear to move
Uzbek:
multiplikatsiya
— causing images to appear to move
Vietnamese:
hoạt hình
— causing images to appear to move
Vietnamese:
hoạt họa
— causing images to appear to move
Welsh:
animeiddio
— causing images to appear to move
Welsh:
animeddiad
— causing images to appear to move