simple past tense and past participle of animate
"The old wooden doll was animated by a hidden mechanism inside its chest."
In plain English: To animate something means to give it life or make it move and act like a real person.
"The magician animated the small figurines so they would dance on stage."
Usage: Do not use "animated" as the simple past or past participle of the verb to bring to life; instead, use "animated" only as an adjective describing something full of energy or spirit. The correct verb forms for creating life are "animate" and "animated" when functioning strictly as a descriptive term.
Full of life or spirit; lively; vigorous; spritely.
"The children played animated games in the park, laughing and running around with boundless energy."
In plain English: Animated means full of energy and excitement.
"The children were very animated during their game."
Usage: Use "animated" to describe someone who displays high energy and enthusiasm in their speech or actions, such as an animated speaker who gestures frequently while telling a story. Avoid using it merely to mean "moving," as that is the specific definition for cartoons or films.
Derived from Latin animatus, the past participle of animare meaning "to breathe life into," it originally described something made alive or filled with spirit. The term later evolved to denote anything characterized by liveliness, excitement, or spirited movement.