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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.


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

Etymology

Origin of annotated

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

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:

Strawberries and white wine were on the menu, and - as has now become customary - one of the empty bottles was annotated and encased in a glass table to commemorate Sinner's latest success.

From BBC Jun. 22, 2026

Ridgefield Park, N.J.-based Innodata focuses on delivering annotated and curated data required to train and refine advanced AI models.

From Barron's May 8, 2026

Now the Library of America has produced “George Templeton Strong: Civil War Diaries,” a much-expanded record of the years when Strong’s life was anything but quiet, expertly edited and annotated by Geoff Wisner.

From The Wall Street Journal Jan. 23, 2026

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

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

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