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

A recent policy plan to boost consumption is promoting “interest-based” spending in categories including pets, anime, and trendy toys.

From Barron's • Apr. 11, 2026

That could be because of the detailed, beautiful backgrounds in anime, or because of a deeper "cultural tradition of emphasising form".

From Barron's • Mar. 24, 2026

During this war Iran is cutting videos based on Japanese-style anime and the Pixar movie “Inside Out.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 18, 2026

Godoy admits that before entering the “One Piece” universe, he didn’t watch anime.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 10, 2026

Sounds like a great idea for an anime series.

From "A Place at the Table" by Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan