annotation

noun

an·​no·​ta·​tion ˌa-nə-ˈtā-shən How to pronounce annotation (audio)
1
: a note added by way of comment or explanation
The bibliography was provided with helpful annotations.
2
: the act of annotating something

Examples of annotation in a Sentence

Without the annotations, the diagram would be hard to understand. the author's annotation of the diagram
Recent Examples on the Web More specialized data annotation work can provide higher pay. Will Henshall, TIME, 2 Apr. 2024 Instagram/Screenshots and annotations by NPR Meta has stressed that people who want political recommendations can still opt in to getting them. Rachel Treisman, NPR, 26 Mar. 2024 As for the accompanying nonfiction annotations, Choi’s brief was to work with Cass and Schroeder to make sure that the story, although fantastical and set in the far future, was sufficiently grounded in ideas that scientists and futurists are taking seriously today. IEEE Spectrum, 4 Mar. 2024 Jackie Mitchell, 26, gained a large following on TikTok because of her content on side hustles, including data annotation work. Yiwen Lu, New York Times, 10 Apr. 2024 On online discussion boards, users report a wide range of experiences with data annotation work. Will Henshall, TIME, 2 Apr. 2024 Previous collections of data outputs have forced scientific agencies to rely on encrypted instruments, vendor-specific tools, and manual annotations that often lack intelligible APIs and force R&D teams to learn and create esoteric models to access data fully. Jon Stojan, USA TODAY, 18 Mar. 2024 There are tools to make highlights and annotations, and to cross out multiple-choice responses students think are wrong. Dana Goldstein, New York Times, 8 Mar. 2024 The narrative element becomes marginalized and reduced to having good headlines or annotations. Brent Dykes, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'annotation.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

see annotate

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of annotation was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near annotation

Cite this Entry

“Annotation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/annotation. Accessed 28 Apr. 2024.

Kids Definition

annotation

noun
an·​no·​ta·​tion ˌan-ə-ˈtā-shən How to pronounce annotation (audio)
1
: the act of annotating
2
: a note added as a comment or explanation

Legal Definition

annotation

noun
an·​no·​ta·​tion ˌa-nə-ˈtā-shən How to pronounce annotation (audio)
1
: a note added (as to a statute) by way of comment or explanation often furnishing summaries of relevant court decisions
2
capitalized : an informational and descriptive note or essay (as about a case or legal issue) especially in American Law Reports
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