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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.
animes plural
  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.


animé 1 British  
/ ˈænɪˌmeɪ, -mɪ /

noun

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

"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

animé 2 British  
/ ˈænɪˌmeɪ /

adjective

  1. music the French word for animato

"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

anime 3 British  
/ ˈænɪˌmeɪ /

noun

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

"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

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

Etymology

Origin of anime

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

Compare meaning

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

The company has also acquired the Eloise at the Plaza franchise and announced an anime series with popular YouTube creator IShowSpeed.

From The Wall Street Journal Jul. 14, 2026

The 34-year-old self-proclaimed anime and manga fanatic told the BBC she felt compelled to take action.

From BBC Jun. 10, 2026

Hip-hop’s biggest anime ambassador these days may be Megan Thee Stallion, who built a whole alter ego, Todoroki Tina, around her favorite character from “My Hero Academia.”

From Salon May 31, 2026

After decades on the fringes of pop culture in the West, anime has become one of Hollywood’s hottest businesses.

From The Wall Street Journal May 8, 2026

I sit at the kitchen table, trying to peer at the TV as it plays my favorite early anime shows in the living room, trying not to worry too much about Sandy.

From "King and the Dragonflies" by Kacen Callender

He has also noticed his son picking up on the English subtitles on animé TV shows.

From The Wall Street Journal Jul. 1, 2026

From Meredith Blake’s 2018 coverage: “Little Women” has been adapted numerous times — into films, TV shows, an opera, a musical and even two animé series.

From Los Angeles Times Oct. 12, 2022

When you first encounter Pepper, it’s hard not to be struck by the quirky novelty of the situation: You’re being chatted up by something that looks part animé cartoon, part “Star Wars” stormtrooper.

From Washington Post Jan. 18, 2017

She spent hours in her room, drawing and painting and studying comic books and animé.

From New York Times May 10, 2013

It resembles the animé of Madagascar rather than the copal of India, which flows from an entirely different tree.

From The Andes and the Amazon Across the Continent of South America by Orton, James

That talented team previously worked on Asobi Asobase and Kino’s Journey: The Beautiful World, though Lerche is probably best known for the Assassination Classroom and Danganronpa animes.

From The Verge Oct. 1, 2018

Like many Japanese animes and Korean dramas, the state-produced original series gained a broader viewership thanks to the labor of fans, who provided translations for those outside Norway.

From Slate May 22, 2018

Paramount’s campaign even found a useful ally in Mamoru Oshii, the brilliant Japanese director of the 1995 and 2004 “Ghost in the Shell” animes, who defended Johansson’s casting on grounds of artistic freedom.

From Los Angeles Times Apr. 6, 2017

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