What does cartoon mean?
A cartoon is a drawing — usually humorous, exaggerated, or satirical — created for entertainment or commentary, most familiar from newspapers, magazines, and comic strips. The word also covers animated films and television shows built frame by frame from drawn images, a sense so widespread that 'cartoon' often evokes childhood viewing as readily as political wit. In its oldest sense, now confined to art history, a cartoon was a full-size preparatory drawing used to transfer a design onto a wall or tapestry; Leonardo da Vinci's celebrated cartoon of The Virgin and Child with Saint Anne survives in this tradition. Editorial or political cartoons distil complex events into sharp visual satire, making the form a long-standing staple of public debate. Derived forms such as cartoonist (the artist) and cartoonish (exaggeratedly simplified in style) extend the word into common use, and it remains one of the most versatile terms bridging art, journalism, and popular entertainment.
A humorous or satirical drawing, especially one published in a newspaper or magazine.
"The cartoon on the opinion page mocked the government's new tax plan."
Often modified by 'political', 'editorial', or 'gag' to indicate type.
An animated film or television programme made from a sequence of drawings.
"The children begged to watch another cartoon before dinner."
A full-size preparatory drawing or design for a painting, fresco, or tapestry.
"The gallery displayed Raphael's cartoons for the Sistine Chapel tapestries."
Now chiefly historical or technical in fine-art contexts.
Regular plural; used both for multiple drawings/strip panels and for episodes or works of animation.
"The archive contains thousands of cartoons spanning the magazine's history."
Before it meant funny drawings, a 'cartoon' was the full-size preparatory sketch for a painting or tapestry — including the famous designs Leonardo da Vinci made for his frescoes.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of cartoon
Cartoon entered English in the late 17th century from French carton, itself from Italian cartone, meaning a large sheet of paper or pasteboard — an augmentative of carta ('paper'), which ultimately traces back to Latin charta. It originally denoted the full-scale preparatory drawing made on such paper for a fresco or tapestry. The familiar senses of humorous drawing arose in the mid-19th century, notably through the British magazine Punch, whose satirical 'cartoons' playfully echoed the term's artistic origins; the animation sense followed in the early 20th century with the rise of moving pictures.
Related word forms
How cartoon is actually used
In everyday speech, 'cartoon' most often refers to animated programmes (especially those aimed at children) or to comic drawings. In journalism, 'editorial' or 'political' cartoon refers specifically to satire on current affairs. The fine-art sense is now largely historical and appears mostly in museum and academic contexts.
Easily confused with cartoon
A carton is a small cardboard or plastic container for food or goods, while a cartoon is a drawing or animated film.