animated

1 of 2

adjective

an·​i·​mat·​ed ˈa-nə-ˌmā-təd 

1

a

: endowed with life or the qualities of life : alive

animated creatures

b

: full of movement and activity

an animated crowd

c

: full of vigor and spirit : lively

an animated discussion

2

: having the appearance of something alive

an unusually animated piece of sculpture

3

: made in the form of an animated cartoon

an animated film

animatedly adverb

animated

2 of 2

past and past participle of animate

Did you know?

Animated cartoon characters have been "given life" by film techniques, though the animation of drawings actually goes back to handheld toys in the 1830s. A child watching the cartoon may also be animated—squealing, laughing, and jumping around—as can a crowd of hockey fans or a rock-concert audience. And the best discussions and arguments are often highly animated.

Synonyms

Adjective

• active
• airy
• animate
• bouncing
• brisk
• energetic
• frisky
• gay
• jaunty
• jazzy
• kinetic
• lively
• mettlesome
• peppy
• perky
• pert
• pizzazzy
• pizazzy
• racy
• snappy
• spanking
• sparky
• spirited
• sprightly
• springy
• vital
• vivacious
• zippy

Choose the Right Synonym for animated

lively, animated, vivacious, sprightly, gay mean keenly alive and spirited.

lively suggests briskness, alertness, or energy.

a lively debate on the issues

animated applies to what is spirited and active.

an animated discussion of current events

vivacious suggests an activeness of gesture and wit, often playful or alluring.

a vivacious party host

sprightly suggests lightness and spirited vigor of manner or wit.

a tuneful, sprightly musical

gay stresses complete freedom from care and overflowing spirits.

the gay spirit of Paris in the 1920s

Examples of animated in a Sentence

Adjective

She gave an animated description of the project.

After dinner, the discussion got more animated.

Many movies for kids are animated rather than live-action.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Still, the 58-year-old Abrams oversaw the Apple TV+ hit Presumed Innocent and Amazon’s animated Batman: Caped Crusader in the past year, enough to earn a renewal from Warners for a smaller figure. —Matt Craig, Forbes, 13 Sep. 2024

Gods and Monsters begins this year with the animated Creature Commandos series in December. —Nick Romano, EW.com, 10 Sep. 2024

Though Jeffrey Jones does not appear as Charles Deetz in director Tim Burton's sequel, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, the new movie places that character's death front and center — and its accompanying animated sequence is straight from Burton's nightmares. —Tommy McArdle, Peoplemag, 9 Sep. 2024

Williams’ career as a singer and producer is told through LEGO pieces in Neville’s animated feature Piece by Piece, which includes the voices of Gwen Stefani, Kendrick Lamar and Jay-Z and recently opened Telluride. —Etan Vlessing, The Hollywood Reporter, 7 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

see animate entry 1

First Known Use

Adjective

1534, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing animated

• animated cartoon

Kids Definition

animated

adjective

an·​i·​mat·​ed ˈan-ə-ˌmāt-əd 

1

: full of life and energy : lively

2

: appearing to be alive or moving

3

: made in the form of an animated cartoon

an animated movie

animatedly adverb

Medical Definition

animated

adjective

an·​i·​mat·​ed -ˌmāt-əd 

1

: endowed with life or the qualities of life

2

: full of movement and activity