What does cartoonist mean?
A cartoonist is an artist who creates cartoons — witty or satirical drawings that comment on events, people, and everyday life. Cartoonists are best known for their work in newspapers and magazines, where editorial cartoonists distill complex political situations into a single striking image, while strip cartoonists sustain recurring characters and running jokes across daily or weekly panels. The craft demands a rare combination of skills: economical draughtsmanship, sharp observational humor, and often the writing ability to supply one's own captions and dialogue. The term can also loosely cover creators of animated cartoons, though 'animator' is the usual title in that field. Cartoonists have historically played an outsized cultural role, using satire to challenge authority and provoke public debate, and their work is regularly recognized by major journalism awards. The word derives from 'cartoon', which itself once referred to preparatory drawings for paintings and tapestries before acquiring its modern humorous sense.
nounA person who draws cartoons, especially humorous or satirical illustrations for newspapers, magazines, or other media.
- An artist who creates cartoons — humorous drawings or comic strips, especially for newspapers and magazines.
- By extension, a creator of animated cartoons (less common; 'animator' is preferred).
"The newspaper's veteran cartoonist won an award for her pointed political satire."
"The editorial cartoonist skewered the senator with a single devastating image."
"As a child she filled every notebook margin with doodles, dreaming of becoming the next great cartoonist."
Regular plural; countable noun.
"The exhibition brought together political cartoonists from across the country."
The word 'cartoon' originally meant a full-size preparatory drawing for a painting or tapestry — so the first cartoonists were Renaissance artists sketching masterpieces, not drawing punchlines.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of cartoonist
Cartoonist is formed from 'cartoon' plus the agentive suffix '-ist'. 'Cartoon' entered English from French carton (a pasteboard), ultimately from Italian cartone, an augmentative of carta ('paper'), which traces back to Latin charta. In its original English usage it denoted a full-scale preparatory drawing for a fresco, painting, or tapestry — famously associated with Leonardo da Vinci's and Raphael's cartoons. Only in the mid-nineteenth century did it acquire its modern sense of a humorous or satirical drawing, popularized by Punch magazine, with 'cartoonist' arising soon after for its practitioners.
How cartoonist is actually used
Neutral register. The term typically implies print-based work such as editorial, political, or gag cartoons and comic strips; creators of animated films are more usually called animators. A 'cartoonist' generally writes as well as draws their material, distinguishing them from illustrators who render others' text.
Easily confused with cartoonist
A cartoonist draws humorous or satirical cartoons, while a cartographer is a specialist who makes maps.