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animation

[an-uh-mey-shuhn]
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noun
  1. animated quality; liveliness; vivacity; spirit: to talk with animation.
  2. an act or instance of animating or enlivening.
  3. the state or condition of being animated.
  4. Graphic Arts
    1. a dynamic visual medium produced from static drawings, models, or objects posed in a series of incremental movements that are then rapidly sequenced to give the illusion of lifelike motion.
    2. the process of preparing such animation, as for films, cartoons, video games, etc.
    3. a product of such animation, as a film or cartoon.
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Origin of animation

1590–1600; 1910–15 for def 4; (< Middle French) < Latin animātiōn- (stem of animātiō a bestowing of life). See animate, -ion
Related formsin·ter·an·i·ma·tion, nounnon·an·i·ma·tion, nouno·ver·an·i·ma·tion, noun

Synonyms

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1. vigor, energy; enthusiasm, ardor; exhilaration, sprightliness.

Antonyms

1. sluggishness.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words

energy, bounce, vim, dash, gaiety, zing, brio, buoyancy, zap, zip, elation, pep, sparkle, passion, fervor, enthusiasm, vigor, life, sprightliness, zest

Examples from the Web for animation

Contemporary Examples

Historical Examples

  • "Precisely what I wanted to reach," said Mrs. Roberts, with animation.

  • The birds, with their various song, gave an air of populousness and animation to the grove.

    Imogen

    William Godwin

  • Their animation was almost like the animation of a nightmare.

    A Spirit in Prison

    Robert Hichens

  • The soldiers were all delighted; the animation in the camp was still more pronounced.

    The Downfall

    Emile Zola

  • The animation of her face was clouded instantly as by a shadow of disappointment.

British Dictionary definitions for animation

animation

noun
  1. liveliness; vivacity
  2. the condition of being alive
    1. the techniques used in the production of animated cartoons
    2. a variant of animated cartoon
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Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for animation

n.

1590s, "action of imparting life," from Latin animationem (nominative animatio) "an animating," noun of action from past participle stem of animare (see animate (v.)). Meaning "vitality" is from 1610s. Cinematographic sense is from 1912.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
animation in Medicine

animation

(ăn′ə-mā′shən)
n.
  1. The state of being alive.
  2. Liveliness; high spirits.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.