anecdotal

Anecdotal describes something that is related to a short account of an incident from a particular perspective.

Something that is anecdotal is a story told through anecdotes. An anecdote is a short recounting of an event from someone’s point of view, normally in a pleasant or humorous manner. For example, anecdotal history is a historical account that is laid out through the perspectives of the people involved.

Anecdotal also describes something, such as research, that is based on personal observation and experience. Anecdotal evidence can be gathered by interviews, surveys, and other methods that allow people to share their experiences with the researcher.  In comparison, scientific evidence is gathered by comparing a dependent and independent variable in a controlled environment. Both types of evidence are important, but anecdotal evidence can’t prove something the way repeated testing and consistent results can.

Example: My science paper relied on anecdotal evidence instead of experimentation, so the teacher gave me a low grade.

The first records of the term anecdotal come from around 1830. It combines the word anecdote, meaning “a short account of an incident or event,” and the suffix –al, meaning “of the kind of, pertaining to.”

You might also come across anecdotal in discussions about legal cases. In a legal context, something is considered anecdotal if it is based on a bias of any kind, involves uncorroborated circumstances, or is irrelevant to the topic being discussed. Oftentimes, personal accounts of experience with a plaintiff or defendant will be deleted from the record if they are anecdotal.

What are some other forms related to anecdotal?

• anecdotalism (noun)
• anecdotally (adverb)
• unanecdotal (adjective)

What are some synonyms for anecdotal?

• informal
• unreliable
• unscientific

What are some words that share a root or word element with anecdotal?

• anecdote
• anecdotic
• anecdotist

What are some words that often get used in discussing anecdotal?

• evidence
• experience
• funny
• secondhand

What are some words anecdotal may be commonly confused with?

• antidotal

Anecdotal is commonly used in recounting, history, and reports about events, often in the context of a short, fun story.

Thoughts on the 2021 Web Almanac Jamstack chapter: https://t.co/bjpzdbvMoH

"Nuxt.js covers 52.6% of Jamstack sites. Next.js is in second place with 36.8%, third is Gatsby with 6.7%, followed by Hugo at 2.5%." A bit shocking. Anecdotal evidence suggests Next is the most popular. pic.twitter.com/8pufYImJzL

— Brian Rinaldi (@remotesynth) December 3, 2021

Feel like I'm reading some anecdotal style dystopian horror novel every time I look at my feed.

— Lights (@lights) July 8, 2016

Purely anecdotal but I'm guessing the greater Phoenix area has the highest white sunglasses density in the country

— Big Cat (@BarstoolBigCat) March 8, 2017

True or False?

Anecdotal evidence is based on a systematic, scientific evaluation.