Standard Lemma guide

annotation

noun · 7 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.

  • General-American, Received-Pronunciation: /ˌæn.əˈteɪ.ʃən/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • India, North: /ˈæː.noːˈʈeː.ʃən/
  • India, South: /əˈnoː.ʈeː.ʃən/
  • rhymes with -eɪʃən
  • CMU ARPABET: AE2 N AH0 T EY1 SH AH0 N Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A critical or explanatory commentary or analysis.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Examples

  • She added an annotation in the margin to clarify the text.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A comment added to a text.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Examples

  • make an annotation
  • The manuscript was filled with helpful annotations.
  • The teacher asked students to submit essays with proper annotation.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

The process of writing such comment or commentary.

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

4

noun

Meaning 4

Metadata added to a document or program.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Topics: computing, engineering, mathematics, natural-sciences, physical-sciences, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

Information relating to the genetic structure of sequences of bases.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Topics: biology, genetics, medicine, natural-sciences, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

noun

Meaning 6

the act of adding notes

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: annotating

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: expansion, expanding upon

7

noun

Meaning 7

a comment or instruction (usually added)

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • his notes were appended at the end of the article
  • he added a short notation to the address on the envelope

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: note, notation

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: comment, commentary

Narrower terms: poste restante, citation, cite, acknowledgment, credit, reference, mention, quotation, footnote, footer, nota bene, NB, N.B., postscript, PS

History

Etymology

From Latin annotātiōnem, accusative singular of annotātiō (“remark, annotation”), from annotātus, perfect passive participle of annotō (“note down, remark”). Equivalent to annotate + -ion.

Across languages

Translations

96 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: коментар (komentar) — critical or explanatory commentary or analysis
  • Bulgarian: анотация (anotacija) — critical or explanatory commentary or analysis
  • Chinese Mandarin: 註解 /注解 (zhùjiě) — critical or explanatory commentary or analysis
  • Czech: anotace — critical or explanatory commentary or analysis
  • Czech: poznámka — critical or explanatory commentary or analysis
  • Czech: vysvětlivka — critical or explanatory commentary or analysis
  • Czech: komentář — critical or explanatory commentary or analysis
  • Finnish: huomautus — critical or explanatory commentary or analysis
  • Finnish: kommentti — critical or explanatory commentary or analysis
  • French: annotation — critical or explanatory commentary or analysis
  • Galician: anotación — critical or explanatory commentary or analysis
  • German: Kommentar — critical or explanatory commentary or analysis
  • Greek: επισημείωση (episimeíosi) — critical or explanatory commentary or analysis
  • Greek: σχολιασμός (scholiasmós) — critical or explanatory commentary or analysis
  • Indonesian: anotasi — critical or explanatory commentary or analysis
  • Japanese: 注解 (chūkai) — critical or explanatory commentary or analysis
  • Kazakh: аңдатпа (añdatpa) — critical or explanatory commentary or analysis
  • Portuguese: comentário — critical or explanatory commentary or analysis
  • Portuguese: anotação — critical or explanatory commentary or analysis
  • Russian: коммента́рий (kommentárij) — critical or explanatory commentary or analysis
  • Russian: примеча́ние (primečánije) — critical or explanatory commentary or analysis
  • Russian: поясне́ние (pojasnénije) — critical or explanatory commentary or analysis
  • Russian: аннота́ция (annotácija) — critical or explanatory commentary or analysis
  • Scottish Gaelic: mìneachadh — critical or explanatory commentary or analysis
  • Scottish Gaelic: notachadh — critical or explanatory commentary or analysis
  • Spanish: anotación — critical or explanatory commentary or analysis
  • Swedish: anteckning — critical or explanatory commentary or analysis
  • Turkish: belirtim — critical or explanatory commentary or analysis
  • Turkish: açıklayıcı not — critical or explanatory commentary or analysis
  • Turkish: bilgi notu — critical or explanatory commentary or analysis
  • Bulgarian: обяснителна бележка (objasnitelna beležka) — comment added to a text
  • Czech: anotace — comment added to a text
  • Czech: poznámka — comment added to a text
  • Czech: vysvětlivka — comment added to a text
  • Czech: komentář — comment added to a text
  • Finnish: reunahuomautus — comment added to a text
  • Finnish: huomautus — comment added to a text
  • Finnish: kommentti — comment added to a text
  • French: annotation — comment added to a text
  • Galician: anotación — comment added to a text
  • German: Anmerkung — comment added to a text
  • German: Bemerkung — comment added to a text
  • Greek: υποσημείωση (yposimeíosi) — comment added to a text
  • Greek: σχόλιο (schólio) — comment added to a text
  • Kazakh: аңдатпа (añdatpa) — comment added to a text
  • Korean: 주해 (juhae) — comment added to a text
  • Māori: tuhipoka — comment added to a text
  • Persian: فرانوشت — comment added to a text
  • Polish: adnotacja — comment added to a text
  • Polish: dopisek — comment added to a text
  • Portuguese: anotação — comment added to a text
  • Romanian: adnotare — comment added to a text
  • Romanian: notă — comment added to a text
  • Romanian: remarcă — comment added to a text
  • Russian: коммента́рий (kommentárij) — comment added to a text
  • Russian: примеча́ние (primečánije) — comment added to a text
  • Russian: поясне́ние (pojasnénije) — comment added to a text
  • Russian: аннота́ция (annotácija) — comment added to a text
  • Scottish Gaelic: mìneachadh — comment added to a text
  • Scottish Gaelic: notachadh — comment added to a text
  • Spanish: anotación — comment added to a text
  • Spanish: acotación — comment added to a text
  • Spanish: apostilla — comment added to a text
  • Spanish: postilla — comment added to a text
  • Spanish: membrete — comment added to a text
  • Swedish: kommentar — comment added to a text
  • Turkish: dipnot — comment added to a text
  • Turkish: hāşiye — comment added to a text
  • Finnish: kommentointi — process of writing a comment or commentary
  • Finnish: huomiointi — process of writing a comment or commentary
  • French: annotation — process of writing a comment or commentary
  • Galician: anotación — process of writing a comment or commentary
  • German: Kommentierung — process of writing a comment or commentary
  • Greek: σχολιασμός (scholiasmós) — process of writing a comment or commentary
  • Persian: فرانوشتن — process of writing a comment or commentary
  • Persian: فرانویسش — process of writing a comment or commentary
  • Portuguese: anotação — process of writing a comment or commentary
  • Russian: анноти́рование (annotírovanije) — process of writing a comment or commentary
  • Russian: комменти́рование (kommentírovanije) — process of writing a comment or commentary
  • Scottish Gaelic: mìneachadh — process of writing a comment or commentary
  • Scottish Gaelic: notachadh — process of writing a comment or commentary
  • Spanish: anotación — process of writing a comment or commentary
  • Turkish: not ekleme — process of writing a comment or commentary
  • Turkish: şerh ekleme — process of writing a comment or commentary
  • Finnish: merkintä — metadata added to a document or program
  • Finnish: kommentti — metadata added to a document or program
  • Finnish: huomautus — metadata added to a document or program
  • French: commentaire — metadata added to a document or program
  • Persian: فرانوشت — metadata added to a document or program
  • Polish: adnotacja — metadata added to a document or program
  • Chinese Mandarin: 注釋 /注释 (zhùshì) — information relating to the genetic structure of sequences of bases
  • Finnish: annotaatio — information relating to the genetic structure of sequences of bases
  • French: annotation — information relating to the genetic structure of sequences of bases
  • Italian: annotazione — information relating to the genetic structure of sequences of bases
  • Portuguese: anotação — information relating to the genetic structure of sequences of bases
  • Spanish: anotación — information relating to the genetic structure of sequences of bases
Real reading context

annotation in complete knowledge articles