anime

noun

an·​i·​me ˈa-nə-ˌmā How to pronounce anime (audio) ˈä-nē- How to pronounce anime (audio)
: a style of animation originating in Japan that is characterized by stark colorful graphics depicting vibrant characters in action-filled plots often with fantastic or futuristic themes

Examples of anime in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Most of Yamada’s work — including her latest, The Colors Within, currently in select U.S. theaters — is slice-of-life, a popular anime genre that focuses on the mundane. Kayti Burt, Rolling Stone, 28 Jan. 2025 Hulu is another option for anime fans, with a collection of over 400 classic and critically acclaimed anime shows and movies such as Cowboy Bebop and Ghost in the Shell. Games on Netflix Between shows like Cowboy Bebop, Daredevil, and The Witcher, Netflix proudly courts a geeky audience. PCMAG, 22 Jan. 2025 In 2021, McDonald’s teamed up with the anime media franchise to include packs of special edition Pokémon trading cards in its Happy Meals, McClatchy News reported. Tanasia Kenney, Kansas City Star, 22 Jan. 2025 The news of her death was announced on X by her co-star Veronica Taylor, who voiced Ash and his mother Delia in the English-language dub of the Pokémon anime for its first eight seasons. Benedict Cosgrove, Newsweek, 20 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for anime 

Word History

Etymology

Japanese, animation, short for animēshiyon, from English

First Known Use

1985, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of anime was in 1985

Dictionary Entries Near anime

Cite this Entry

“Anime.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/anime. Accessed 31 Jan. 2025.

Kids Definition

anime

noun
an·​i·​me ˈan-ə-ˌmā How to pronounce anime (audio) ˈä-nē- How to pronounce anime (audio)
: a style of animation originating in Japan that has stark colorful graphics, action-filled plots, and often fantastic or futuristic themes
Etymology

from Japanese, literally, "animation," short for animēshiyon (from English)

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