Meaning & use
animation
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountable or uncountable
A film or video made by showing drawn, modeled or computer-made pictures in quick sequence so they seem to move.
Grammar: Uncountable for the art form (study animation), countable for a single work (a short animation).
Patterns
- an animation of something
The studio is known for its hand-drawn animation.
We watched a short animation about space travel.
She is studying computer animation at college.
noununcountable
Liveliness and energy in the way someone speaks, moves or acts.
Grammar: Uncountable, often after with: spoke with animation.
Patterns
- with animation
She described the trip with great animation.
The room filled with animation when the band arrived.
His face lacked animation during the long speech.
noununcountabletechnical
The process of making a moving image from separate pictures or computer models.
Grammar: Uncountable, often used as a modifier: animation software.
Patterns
- animation of something
The animation of the character took months.
Animation of water is hard to get right.
The team improved the animation of the menu.
Word forms
| plural | animations |
|---|
Common combinations
- computer animation
- Computer animation is used in many modern films.
- stop-motion animation
- Stop-motion animation uses small models.
- 3D animation
- The game relies on 3D animation.
- with great animation
- He talked with great animation about football.
- animation studio
- The animation studio hired new artists.
- suspended animation
- The seeds lay in a state of suspended animation.
Synonyms and how they differ
- liveliness
- Liveliness is the general word for energy, while animation often describes how someone looks or speaks.
- cartoon
- Cartoon names a particular drawn film, whereas animation covers many techniques and styles.
- vivacity
- Vivacity is more formal and mostly describes a person's attractive spirit.
- spirit
- Spirit is broader and refers to character, not just visible energy.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: animation or animosity?
animation vs animosity
Animosity means strong dislike or hostility and is unrelated to liveliness despite the similar spelling.
Practice
The film uses hand-drawn ___ instead of live actors.
Choose one answer.
Animation means moving pictures made from drawings. Annotation is a note on a text, and the other words do not fit the context.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “animation”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.