animation

A1N1I1M3A1T1I1O1N1
/ˌæn.ɪˈmeɪ.ʃən/

noun

The act of animating, or giving life or spirit.

“He recited the story with great animation.”

CommonScrabble 11

Meanings

nounanimation (countable and uncountable, plural animations)

plural animations

  1. countableuncountableThe act of animating, or giving life or spirit.

    […] by the animation of the same soul quickening that whole frame.

    1647, Joseph Hall, Christ Mysticall; or the blessed union of Christ and his Members, as edited and reprinted in Josiah Pratt (editor), The Works of the Right Reverend Father in God, Joseph Hall, D.D., Volume 8, C. Wittingham (1808), page 217

    Synonyms: vitalization, vivification, enlivenment

  2. countableuncountableanimationA 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
  3. countableuncountableThe state of being lively, brisk, or full of spirit and vigor; vivacity; spiritedness

    He recited the story with great animation.

    Synonyms: airiness, ardor, buoyancy, earnestness, energy, enthusiasm, liveliness, promptitude

  4. countableuncountableThe condition of being animate (alive or supernaturally seeming alive).

    Perhaps an inanimate thing supplies me, while I am speaking, with whatever I possess of animation.

    1828, Walter Savage Landor, “Lord Brooke and Sir Philip Sidney”, in Imaginary Conversations of Literary Men and Statesmen, volume III, London: Henry Colburn, […], →OCLC

    Synonyms: animacy, animateness, life

  5. countableuncountablehuman sciencesconversion from the inanimate to animate grammatical category

    "The constraints are not so hard and fast that exceptional sentences do not occur. In particular animation and disanimation can temporarily suspend the system."

    1992, Samuel E. Martin, A Reference Grammar of Korean, page 291
  6. countableuncountableActivities offered by a holiday resort encompassing activities that include movement, joy, leisure and spectacle, such as games, sports, shows, events, etc.

Synonyms & antonyms

nounThe act of animating, or giving life or spirit.

nounThe state of being lively, brisk, or full of spirit and vigor; vivacity; spiritedness

nounThe condition of being animate (alive or supernaturally seeming alive).

More synonyms by meaning

nounthe condition of living or the state of being alive

nounthe property of being able to survive and grow

Similar

nounquality of being active or spirited or alive and vigorous

nounthe activity of giving vitality and vigour to something

noungeneral activity and motion

Similar
Broader

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*h₂enh₁-
  2. Proto-Indo-European*h₂enh₁mos
  3. Proto-Italic*anamos
  4. Latinanimus
  5. Latinanima
  6. Latinanimō
  7. Latinanimatiō
  8. Englishanimation

Learned borrowing from Latin animatiō, from animō, equivalent to animate + -ion.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Arabic إِحْيَاء, تَحْرِيك
  • إِحْيَاء (ʔiḥyāʔ)causing images to appear to move
  • تَحْرِيك (taḥrīk)causing images to appear to move
  • تَحْرِيك صُوَر (taḥrīk ṣuwar)causing images to appear to move
Bengali অ্যানিমেশন
  • অ্যানিমেশন (ênimeśon)causing images to appear to move
Bulgarian съживя́ване, анима́ция
  • съживя́ване (săživjávane)the act of animating
  • анима́ция (animácija)causing images to appear to move
Catalan animació
  • animaciócausing images to appear to move
Chinese Mandarin 動畫 /动画, 動漫 /动漫
  • 動畫 /动画 (dònghuà)causing images to appear to move
  • 動漫 /动漫 (dòngmàn)causing images to appear to move
Czech animování, oživení
  • animováníthe act of animating
  • oživeníthe act of animating
  • animacecausing images to appear to move
Danish animation, animation
  • animationthe act of animating
  • animationcausing images to appear to move
Dutch animatie
  • animatiecausing images to appear to move
Esperanto animacio
  • animaciocausing images to appear to move
Estonian animatsioon, multiplikatsioon
  • animatsiooncausing images to appear to move
  • multiplikatsiooncausing images to appear to move
Finnish elävöittäminen, animaatio
  • elävöittäminenthe act of animating
  • animaatiocausing images to appear to move
  • animointicausing images to appear to move
French animation, invigoration
  • animationthe act of animating
  • invigorationthe act of animating
  • animationcausing images to appear to move
German Belebung, Vitalisierung
  • Belebungthe act of animating
  • Vitalisierungthe act of animating
  • Animationcausing images to appear to move
Greek απεικόνιση
  • απεικόνιση (apeikónisi)causing images to appear to move
Hebrew הַנְפָּשָׁה
  • הַנְפָּשָׁה (hanpashá)causing images to appear to move
Hindi एनिमेशन
  • एनिमेशन (enimeśan)causing images to appear to move
Hungarian élénkség, elevenség
  • élénkségcausing images to appear to move
  • elevenségcausing images to appear to move
Icelandic hreyfimynd
  • hreyfimyndcausing images to appear to move
Indonesian animasi, animasi
  • animasithe act of animating
  • animasicausing images to appear to move
Irish beochan
  • beochancausing images to appear to move
Italian ravvivamento, animazione
  • ravvivamentothe act of animating
  • animazionethe act of animating
  • vivificazionethe act of animating
  • animazionecausing images to appear to move
Japanese アニメーション, アニメ
  • アニメーション (animēshon)causing images to appear to move
  • アニメcausing images to appear to move
Korean 애니메이션, 아니메
  • 애니메이션 (aenimeisyeon)causing images to appear to move
  • 아니메causing images to appear to move
Latin animātiō
  • animātiōthe act of animating
Latvian animācija, multiplikācija
  • animācijacausing images to appear to move
  • multiplikācijacausing images to appear to move
Lithuanian animacija, multiplikacija
  • animacijacausing images to appear to move
  • multiplikacijacausing images to appear to move
Malay animasi, dalangan
  • animasicausing images to appear to move
  • dalangancausing images to appear to move
Māori hākoritanga, hākoritanga
  • hākoritangathe act of animating
  • hākoritangacausing images to appear to move
Norwegian Bokmål animasjon
  • animasjoncausing images to appear to move
Polish animacja
  • animacjacausing images to appear to move
Portuguese animação, animação
  • animaçãothe act of animating
  • animaçãocausing images to appear to move
Romanian animare, însuflețire
  • animarethe act of animating
  • însuflețirethe act of animating
  • animațiecausing images to appear to move
Russian оживле́ние, одушевле́ние
  • оживле́ние (oživlénije)the act of animating
  • одушевле́ние (oduševlénije)the act of animating
  • анима́ция (animácija)causing images to appear to move
  • мультиплика́ция (mulʹtiplikácija)causing images to appear to move
Scottish Gaelic beothachadh, beothachadh
  • beothachadhthe act of animating
  • beothachadhcausing images to appear to move
Slovak oživenie, animácia
  • oživeniethe act of animating
  • animáciacausing images to appear to move
Spanish vivificación, animación
  • vivificaciónthe act of animating
  • animaciónthe act of animating
  • animacióncausing images to appear to move
Swahili uhaishaji
  • uhaishajicausing images to appear to move
Swedish animering, animation
  • animeringthe act of animating
  • animationcausing images to appear to move
Thai แอนิเมชัน
  • แอนิเมชัน (ɛɛ-ní-mee-chân)causing images to appear to move
Turkish animasyon
  • animasyoncausing images to appear to move
Ukrainian аніма́ція, мультипліка́ція
  • аніма́ція (animácija)causing images to appear to move
  • мультипліка́ція (mulʹtyplikácija)causing images to appear to move
Urdu اینی میشَن
  • اینی میشَن (enī meśan)causing images to appear to move
Vietnamese hoạt hình, hoạt họa
  • hoạt hìnhcausing images to appear to move
  • hoạt họacausing images to appear to move
Welsh animeiddio, animeddiad
  • animeiddiocausing images to appear to move
  • animeddiadcausing images to appear to move

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with animation

All rhymes →

Anagrams

Cite this entry
APA

animation. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/animation

MLA

“animation.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/animation. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “animation,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/animation.

Source: animation on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.