cartoon
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cartoon
- /kɑːˈtuːn/ UK
- /kɑɹˈtun/ US
Rhymes with -uːn
Where it comes from
In British English first, from French carton (“sketch, cardboard, card”), from Italian cartone (“cardboard, carton, box”), augmentative of carta (“paper”), from Latin carta (“papyrus, paper”), from Ancient Greek χάρτης (khártēs) (see there for further etymology). Doublet of carton and card.
noun cartoons
-
A humorous drawing, often with a caption, or a strip of such drawings.
Similar: comic strip, strip cartoon
-
A drawing satirising current public figures.
The newspaper published a political cartoon mocking the mayor.
Similar: caricature, political cartoon
- An artist's preliminary sketch.
- A full-sized drawing that serves as the template for a fresco, a tapestry, etc.
-
An animated piece of film which is often but not exclusively humorous.
The children watched a funny cartoon on TV.
Similar: animated cartoon, animation
- A cartoon series. 12 July 2012, Sam Adams, AV Club Ice Age: Continental Drift The matter of whether the world needs a fourth Ice Age movie pales beside the question of why there were three before it, but Continental Drift feels less like an extension of a theatrical franchise than an episode of a middling TV cartoon,
- A diagram in a scientific concept.
verb cartoons · cartooning · cartooned
- To draw a cartoon, a humorous drawing.
- To make a preliminary sketch.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: animated cartoon, sketch, toon, caricature, drawing, picture, design, animation, comic, parody, travesty, strip, mockery, peanuts, drawings, fees
Translations
Every language
noun humorous drawing or strip
| Español | viñeta |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 만화 manhwa |
| 日本語 | 風刺画 fūshiga, 戯画 giga, 漫画 |
| 中文 | 卡通 kǎtōng, 諷刺畫 /讽刺画 fěngcìhuà, 漫畫 /漫画 mànhuà |
| Kiswahili | katuni, vibonzo |
| Português | cartum, charge |
| Français | bande dessinée, BD, caricature |
| Deutsch | Karikatur, Cartoon |
| Italiano | vignetta |
| Русский | ко́микс kómiks, карикату́ра karikatúra, шарж šarž |
| العربية | كَارِيكَاتِير karikatīr, كَارِيكَاتُور karikatūr, رَسْم هَزْلِيّ rasm hazliyy |
noun satire of public figures
| Español | caricatura |
|---|---|
| Português | charge, caricatura |
| Français | caricature |
| Deutsch | Karikatur |
| Italiano | caricatura |
| Română | caricatură |
| Русский | карикату́ра karikatúra |
| Tiếng Việt | tranh biếm hoạ |
noun diagram in a scientific concept
| Русский | диагра́мма diagrámma, гра́фик gráfik |
|---|
Talk about this word "cartoon." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/cartoon. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. cartoon. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/cartoon "cartoon." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/cartoon.Cite this
@misc{cartoon_2026,
title = {cartoon},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/cartoon},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
