animated

American  

[an-uh-mey-tid] / ˈæn əˌmeɪ tɪd /

adjective

1. full of life, action, or spirit; lively; vigorous.

   an animated debate on the death penalty.

2. made or equipped to move or give the appearance of moving in an animallike fashion.

   animated puppets.

3. containing representations of animals or mechanical objects that appear to move as real ones do.

   an animated window display.

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animated British  

/ ˈænɪˌmeɪtɪd /

adjective

1. full of vivacity and spirit; lively

2. characterized by movement and activity

   an animated scene met her eye

3. possessing life; animate

4. moving or appearing to move as if alive

   an animated display

5. pertaining to cinematographic animation

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Other Word Forms

• animatedly adverb
• nonanimated adjective
• overanimated adjective
• overanimatedly adverb
• semianimated adjective
• unanimated adjective
• unanimatedly adverb

Etymology

Origin of animated

First recorded in 1525–35; animate + -ed ²

Example Sentences

The animated sequel drew in $156 million in the U.S. and $400 million abroad, more than half of it coming from China, according to Box Office Mojo, a website that tracks revenue.

From MarketWatch

In this masterwork, as in “The Invention of Love” and “The Real Thing,” Mr. Stoppard’s literary brilliance shone mightily, but the restrained yet fathoms-deep feeling that animated his finest writing took precedence.

From The Wall Street Journal

ChatGPT turned us into animated characters, even though I didn’t ask it to.

From The Wall Street Journal

Netflix is expanding the show’s universe with the animated series “Stranger Things: Tales from ‘85” next year.

From Los Angeles Times

How about an animated feature in which a snake is a gentle, misunderstood hero who seeks merely to restore his people’s —er, his fellow reptiles’—rightful legacy?

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• energetic
• spirited
• vivid