animated

American  

[an-uh-mey-tid] / ˈæn əˌmeɪ tɪd /

adjective

1. full of life, action, or spirit; lively; vigorous.

   an animated debate on the death penalty.

2. made or equipped to move or give the appearance of moving in an animallike fashion.

   animated puppets.

3. containing representations of animals or mechanical objects that appear to move as real ones do.

   an animated window display.

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animated British  

/ ˈænɪˌmeɪtɪd /

adjective

1. full of vivacity and spirit; lively

2. characterized by movement and activity

   an animated scene met her eye

3. possessing life; animate

4. moving or appearing to move as if alive

   an animated display

5. pertaining to cinematographic animation

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Other Word Forms

• animatedly adverb
• nonanimated adjective
• overanimated adjective
• overanimatedly adverb
• semianimated adjective
• unanimated adjective
• unanimatedly adverb

Etymology

Origin of animated

First recorded in 1525–35; animate + -ed ²

Example Sentences

Mirman voices middle child Gene Belcher in Fox’s animated comedy “Bob’s Burgers,” which is currently in its 16th season.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 3, 2026

"But would you rather have clean air and lower electricity bills or Cocomelon for adults?" she joked, referring to the animated children's channel that is among YouTube's most subscribed.

From Barron's • Apr. 3, 2026

That deal was supposed to match Sora with Disney’s animated characters, letting fans create their own scenes in ways that, to be sure, would respect the spirit and wholesomeness of the Disney image.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 29, 2026

Angel Studios’ all-ages 2023 animated series, “Young David,” seeded the ground for its feature-length film, “David,” which premiered at the end of 2025.

From Salon • Mar. 29, 2026

“Don’t tell her,” a thin girl with large, dark, animated eyes and long black lashes says.

From "The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman" by Gennifer Choldenko

Related Words

• energetic
• spirited
• vivid