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• anime
  anime

  noun

  a genre of film and television animation created in or influenced by the traditional style of Japanese 2D animation and characterized by highly stylized, colorful art, fantastic settings, and mature themes.
• animé
  animé

  noun

  any of various resins, esp that obtained from the tropical American leguminous tree Hymenaea courbaril

anime

American  

[an-uh-mey] / ˈæn əˌmeɪ /

noun

Graphic Arts.

1. a genre of film and television animation created in or influenced by the traditional style of Japanese 2D animation and characterized by highly stylized, colorful art, fantastic settings, and mature themes.

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animé ¹ British  

/ ˈænɪˌmeɪ, -mɪ /

noun

1. any of various resins, esp that obtained from the tropical American leguminous tree Hymenaea courbaril

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animé ² British  

/ ˈænɪˌmeɪ /

adjective

1. music the French word for animato

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anime ³ British  

/ ˈænɪˌmeɪ /

noun

1. a type of Japanese animated film with themes and styles similar to manga comics

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Etymology

Origin of anime

First recorded in 1985–90; from Japanese, borrowing of English animation ( def. )

Compare meaning

How does anime compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• manga vs. anime

Example Sentences

Anime fans were always willing to spend lots of money, it turns out.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 19, 2026

Anime is king in Japan but the popularity of animation has also exploded elsewhere.

From Barron's • Nov. 18, 2025

Anime has captured imaginations for decades now, but the art, and its fans, have always seemed beyond the reach of mainstream film studios.

From BBC • Aug. 22, 2025

Anime tends to have its own visual language, but “Blue Eye Samurai” brings a bit of a Hollywood lens to its anime-like world.

From Salon • Dec. 23, 2023

Anime shape-shifters battle bad guys on the screen, a cheap Japanimation matinee.

From "Wintergirls" by Laurie Halse Anderson