animation

American  

[an-uh-mey-shuhn] / ˌæn əˈmeɪ ʃən /

noun

1. animated quality; liveliness; vivacity; spirit.

   to talk with animation.

   Synonyms:

   sprightliness, exhilaration, ardor, enthusiasm, energy, vigor

   Antonyms:

   sluggishness

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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animation British  

/ ˌænɪˈmeɪʃən /

noun

1. liveliness; vivacity

2. the condition of being alive

3. 1. the techniques used in the production of animated cartoons

   2. a variant of animated cartoon

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Other Word Forms

• interanimation noun
• nonanimation noun
• overanimation noun

Etymology

Origin of animation

1590–1600; 1910–15 animation for def. 4; (< Middle French ) < Latin animātiōn- (stem of animātiō a bestowing of life). See animate, -ion

Example Sentences

Jared Bush, co-writer and co-director of “Zootopia 2” and chief creative officer of Walt Disney’s animation studio, attributed the film’s success to the way it speaks to everyone around the world.

From MarketWatch

The museum’s exhibition, “The Happiest Place on Earth: The Disneyland Story,” is based on a similarly titled book from animation producer Don Hahn and theme park designer-turned-historian Christopher Merritt.

From Los Angeles Times

Leo D. Sullivan, the trailblazing animation artist who worked on the classic opening sequence for “Soul Train” as well as dozens of cartoons, has died.

From Los Angeles Times

To keep jurors engaged through hours of jargon-heavy testimony, Paltrow’s team has shared a series of advanced, high-resolution animations rendered by an artist.

From Seattle Times

And then, second by second, joke by joke, the ripping begins, in a process that Sayer compared to stop-motion animation, because a new movement or gesture has to happen nearly every second.

From New York Times