nonfiction

American  

[non-fik-shuhn] / nɒnˈfɪk ʃən /

noun

1. the branch of literature comprising works of narrative prose dealing with or offering opinions or conjectures upon facts and reality, including biography, history, and the essay (opposed to fiction and distinguished from poetry anddrama ).

2. works of this class.

   She had read all of his novels but none of his nonfiction.

3. (especially in cataloging books, as in a library or bookstore) all writing or books not fiction, poetry, or drama, including nonfictive narrative prose and reference works; the broadest category of written works.

---

nonfiction British  

/ ˌnɒnˈfɪkʃən /

noun

1. writing dealing with facts and events rather than imaginative narration

2. (modifier) relating to or denoting nonfiction

---

Other Word Forms

• nonfictional
  adjective
• nonfictionally
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of nonfiction

First recorded in 1905–10; non- + fiction

Explanation

When you read nonfiction, you're reading about something that really happened — it's not a story somebody made up. Prose is divided into the two big categories of fiction and nonfiction, and nonfiction includes all kinds of things — biographies, histories, memoirs, how-to books, self-help, books on business, even books on writing. Narrative nonfiction relates stories that really happened but in a way that draws you in just like fiction does; it tells a true story, but with lots of drama and all the interesting quirks of the characters.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

nonfiction

There’s also thought-provoking nonfiction from the likes of Malcolm Gladwell and the author of “Guns, Germs, and Steel.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026

Penguin Random House noted it was the largest first-day sales for a nonfiction book in the company’s history.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026

Maybe not, if you consider that of the 10 Emmy nominees for documentary or nonfiction special or series this year, seven are celebrity-oriented.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026

She found her niche with feelings-forward novels and girlbossy nonfiction tailor-made to be cracked open at book clubs over glasses of Chardonnay.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026

They dashed through the stacks, past the magazine section where Katherine had hidden before, past the nonfiction shelves with all the thick books about taxes.

From "Found" by Margaret Peterson Haddix