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animation

noun

Simple meaning

making still pictures look like they are moving quickly

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

anuhmayshuhn

Say the bold part a little louder.

US device voice
IPA pronunciation (US)

ænəˈmeɪʃən

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

noun

  1. animationin the sense of a cartoon

    A sequence of still drawings or inanimate objects displayed in rapid succession to create the illusion of movement in motion pictures or computer graphics; the object (film, computer game, etc.) produced

  2. The state of being lively, brisk, or full of spirit and vigor; vivacity; spiritedness

  3. The act of animating, or giving life or spirit.

  4. The condition of being animate or alive.

  5. The condition of living or the state of being alive

  6. Quality of being active or spirited or alive and vigorous

Word at a Glance

Difficulty
A2 · Elementary (estimated)
Frequency
Common
Typical Use
General English

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

This meaning: (animation, in the sense of a cartoon) A sequence of still drawings or inanimate objects displayed in rapid succession to create the illusion of movement in motion pictures or computer graphics; the object (film, computer game, etc.) produced

Used this way, animation is a specialist word with a clearly warm, approving pull. This is a computing use: it carries a fixed technical meaning inside software and systems work.

Emotional tone
Positive
Formality
Specialist/technical
Intensity
Gentle
How common
Specialized
Connotation
Successful and accomplished
Usage feel
Clinical and detached

Where it naturally appears

  • Technology
  • Technical/specialist writing
  • Business/professional

Usage note

In general conversation this sense usually needs explaining — outside its field, people reach for a plainer word.

Nearby words

  • vivifying , rarer, so it draws attention

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

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Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

Sequence / activities

computer animationcharacter animationanimation sequence

Property

animation effects

Other combinations

great animationcustom animationfacial animation

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Word Family

Related forms, grouped by how they connect.

Word family

Words built from the same root.

  • animalnounDerived noun

    A living organism characterized by voluntary movement.

Compound terms

Established multiword terms.

  • suspended animationnounCompound term

    A temporary cessation of vital functions with loss of consciousness resembling death.

More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin

Synonyms

Sense: sequence of still drawings

lifevivifyingRare

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.