cartoon

[ kahr-toon ]

/ kɑrˈtun /

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See synonyms for: cartoon / cartooned / cartooning / cartoons on Thesaurus.com

noun

a sketch or drawing, usually humorous, as in a newspaper or periodical, symbolizing, satirizing, or caricaturing some action, subject, or person of popular interest.

comic strip.

animated cartoon.

Fine Arts. a full-scale design for a picture, ornamental motif or pattern, or the like, to be transferred to a fresco, tapestry, etc.

adjective

resembling a cartoon or caricature: The novel is full of predictable, cartoon characters, never believable as real people.

verb (used with object)

to represent by a cartoon.

verb (used without object)

to draw cartoons.

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Origin of cartoon

First recorded in 1665–75; from Italian cartone “pasteboard, stout paper, a drawing on such paper,” equivalent to cart(a) “paper” (see carte) + -one augmentative suffix

OTHER WORDS FROM cartoon

car·toon·ish, adjectivecar·toon·ist, nounun·car·tooned, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH cartoon

1. burlesque, caricature, cartoon , parody, satire2. carton, cartoon

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use cartoon in a sentence

Sure, there were temperature checks, child-size masks with cartoon characters and staggered arrival times.
After 8 months, D.C. Public Schools reopens buildings for more than 400 students|Perry Stein|November 18, 2020|Washington Post
When he was a kid, Jeff Frankenstein got teased a lot by kids who called him a monster or Franken Berry, a cartoon mascot for the monster cereal.
When your last name is Frankenstein and it’s Halloween|Kellie B. Gormly|October 30, 2020|Washington Post
It was a quiet cartoon — more of a meditation on seasonal depression than a proper holiday film.
‘A Charlie Brown Christmas’ is now an Apple TV+ exclusive|Brian Heater|October 22, 2020|TechCrunch
McConnell also published some of his studies in his own journal, The Worm Runner’s Digest, alongside sci-fi humor and cartoons.
Memories Can Be Injected and Survive Amputation and Metamorphosis - Facts So Romantic|Marco Altamirano|October 20, 2020|Nautilus

Growing up, her closest connection to hunting was Elmer Fudd cartoons.
A First-Time Hunter Gets a Lesson from #WomenWhoHunt|Outside Editors|October 7, 2020|Outside Online
The cartoonist, better known as Charb, was shot dead Wednesday.
France Kills Charlie Hebdo Murderers|Nico Hines|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Glackens was a prolific cartoonist in Philadelphia and his comics are one of the most surprising elements in the Puck book.
The Magazine That Made—and Unmade—Politicians|Anthony Haden-Guest|November 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“My name is Alison Bechdel and I am a cartoonist,” she says with a little laugh at the beginning of her MacArthur video.
Alison Bechdel: Genius to Watch Out For|Tim Teeman|September 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The combination of talents that you need to be a daily cartoonist is weird.
Aaron McGruder’s ‘The Boondocks’ Returns Without Aaron McGruder|Rich Goldstein|April 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The young Syrian-Palestinian cartoonist extends a vital tradition—but one where reprisal can mean violence death.
Hani Abbas Extends the Vital Tradition of Political Cartooning in the Mideast|Patrick Hilsman|October 20, 2013|DAILY BEAST
A talented cartoonist, distinguished practical joker, and recognized as one of the kings of bon mot, he led a free and easy life.
Repertory Of The Comedie Humaine, Complete, A -- Z|Anatole Cerfberr and Jules Franois Christophe
The cartoonist prepared a quiet supper for them and they remained overnight in the Nast home.
Mark Twain, A Biography, 1835-1910, Complete|Albert Bigelow Paine
He early showed ability as a cartoonist, and was noted among his friends as a good story teller.
Americans All|Various
A well-known cartoonist toiled long in early life at some uncongenial task for a pittance.
A Librarian's Open Shelf|Arthur E. Bostwick
One Mr. Lugubrious Blue flits through the drawings of a certain famous cartoonist.
In Apple-Blossom Time|Clara Louise Burnham

British Dictionary definitions for cartoon

cartoon

/ (kɑːˈtuːn) /

noun

a humorous or satirical drawing, esp one in a newspaper or magazine, concerning a topical event

Also called: comic strip a sequence of drawings in a newspaper, magazine, etc, relating a comic or adventurous situation

See animated cartoon

a full-size preparatory sketch for a fresco, tapestry, mosaic, etc, from which the final work is traced or copied

Derived forms of cartoon

cartoonist, noun

Word Origin for cartoon

C17: from Italian cartone pasteboard, sketch on stiff paper; see carton

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

cartoon

Origin of cartoon

OTHER WORDS FROM cartoon

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH cartoon

Words related to cartoon

How to use cartoon in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for cartoon

Derived forms of cartoon

Word Origin for cartoon