First recorded in 1985–90; from Japanese, borrowing of English animation ( def. )
How does anime compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"I'm seeing more people open to expression during secondary school with anime designs and Spotify artist shirts, it's a good way to end your journey and treasure youth," she said.
From BBC • Jun. 6, 2026
These connections made anime and martial arts cinema’s incorporation into hip-hop, an art form built on collaboration and sonic collage, somewhat inevitable.
From Salon • May 31, 2026
Part of that building inspired the next generation of rappers to incorporate their love of other aspects of Asian pop culture, such as anime, into their prose and performance style.
From Salon • May 31, 2026
Studio executives and producers are racing to find movie material in corners of the internet they once dismissed as some of the greatest threats to their business, from YouTube to anime to videogames.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 31, 2026
In the span of a few blinks, the wall is whole again, as if it’s never been attacked by an Amazon anime prop.
From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
