anecdote
Americannoun
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a short account of a particular incident or event, especially of an interesting or amusing nature.
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a short, obscure historical or biographical account.
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of anecdote
First recorded in 1670–80; from New Latin anecdota or French anecdotes, from Late Greek, Greek anékdota “things unpublished” (referring particularly to Procopius's unpublished memoirs of Justinian and Theodora), neuter plural of anékdotos, equivalent to an- an- 1 + ékdotos “given out,” adjective derivative of ekdidónai “to give out, publish” ( ek- ec- + didónai “to give”)
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Explanation
A short, amusing true story is an anecdote. You might come back from a crazy spring break with a lot of anecdotes to tell. The roots of anecdote lie in the Greek word anekdota, meaning "unpublished." The word's original sense in English was "secret or private stories" — tales not fit for print, so to speak. It can still have connotations of unreliability, as in the phrase "anecdotal information." But the most common sense today is that of "a funny story about something that happened."
Vocabulary lists containing anecdote
100 SAT Words Beginning with "A"
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Argumentative Writing
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List 7
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
One New York Times report made the rounds particularly because of its opening anecdote about the candidate disappearing at a critical juncture because he needed a nap.
From Slate • Jun. 2, 2026
While we’re on the topic of Brin and Lake Tahoe, let me share another early anecdote that illuminates the mindset I’m referring to, and that I wrote about way back in 1999.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 1, 2026
He does not rely on anecdote alone but instead builds patterns from a wide sampling of Fourth of July orations.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 22, 2026
But it was the article’s opening anecdote that drew the most chatter online because it portrayed Patel as hyper-paranoid.
From Salon • Apr. 24, 2026
He had not meant to give up the anecdote about his obsession with The Mummy in his interview.
From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
