annotated

American  

[an-uh-tey-tid] / ˈæn əˌteɪ tɪd /

adjective

1. supplied with or containing explanatory notes, textual comments, etc..

   an annotated edition of Milton's poetry.

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Usage

What does annotated mean? The adjective annotated is used to describe a text or similar thing to which notes or comments have been added to provide explanation or criticism about a particular part of it. Such notes or comments are called annotations, and to add them is to annotate (the adjective annotated comes from the past tense of this verb). Annotation can also refer to the act of annotating. Annotations are often added to scholarly articles or to literary works that are being analyzed, and it’s these types of things that are most commonly described as annotated. But annotations can be added to any text. For example, a note that you scribble in the margin of your textbook is an annotation, as is an explanatory comment that you add to a list of tasks at work. The word annotated is sometimes abbreviated as annot. (which can also mean annotation or annotator). Example: The annotated edition of the book really helped me to understand the historical context and the meanings of some obscure words.

Other Word Forms

• unannotated adjective
• well-annotated adjective

Etymology

Origin of annotated

First recorded in 1800–10; annotate + -ed ²

Example Sentences

Among the treasures are George Washington’s annotated draft of the Constitution, the Louisiana Purchase Treaty and a rare printing of the Declaration.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 5, 2026

Zelensky presented the plan during a two-hour briefing with journalists, reading from a highlighted and annotated version.

From Barron's • Dec. 24, 2025

These indicators of past glacial activity, along with Coloe Fossae and the surrounding craters, are visible in the annotated images.

From Science Daily • Nov. 26, 2025

She also said someone convicted of fraud would typically need a waiver to go into the USA, and that their visa would be annotated – which Mr El Paraiso's was not.

From BBC • Feb. 17, 2025

That first or second summer, at a camp in Patchogue, Long Island, he found a book of annotated chess games.

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady