anecdotal

[ an-ik-doht-l, an-ik-doht-l ]

/ ˈæn ɪkˌdoʊt l, ˌæn ɪkˈdoʊt l /

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See synonyms for anecdotal on Thesaurus.com

adjective

pertaining to, resembling, or containing anecdotes: an anecdotal history of jazz.

(of the treatment of subject matter in representational art) pertaining to the relationship of figures or to the arrangement of elements in a scene so as to emphasize the story content of a subject.Compare narrative (def. 7).

based on personal observation, case study reports, or random investigations rather than systematic scientific evaluation: anecdotal evidence.

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Origin of anecdotal

First recorded in 1830–40; anecdote + -al¹

OTHER WORDS FROM anecdotal

an·ec·do·tal·ism, nounan·ec·do·tal·ly, adverbun·an·ec·do·tal, adjectiveun·an·ec·do·tal·ly, adverb

How to use anecdotal in a sentence

Presidio called the percentage of F grades highly concerning, adding that anecdotal evidence also suggests children are struggling.
In sudden switch, Loudoun County is returning all students to online learning|Hannah Natanson|December 10, 2020|Washington Post
Most reports of retail theft have been anecdotal, he said, and even 10 months into the pandemic, it’s too early to know the full scope.
Stealing to survive: More Americans are shoplifting food as aid runs out during the pandemic|Abha Bhattarai, Hannah Denham|December 10, 2020|Washington Post
It was the nearest analogy to a golden scarab one finds in our latitudes, a scarabaeid beetle …For scientific minds, such anecdotal evidence did not help Jung make his case.
The Synchronicity of Wolfgang Pauli and Carl Jung - Issue 93: Forerunners|Paul Halpern|November 18, 2020|Nautilus
The reports, though anecdotal, illustrate the tensions unfolding as more than 33 million Americans have already cast ballots two weeks before Election Day.
Shouting matches, partisan rallies, guns at polling places: Tensions high at early-voting sites|Josh Partlow|October 21, 2020|Washington Post

In the two years since the tool’s introduction, anecdotal evidence from Duke Health’s hospital managers and clinicians has suggested that Sepsis Watch really works.
How an AI tool for fighting hospital deaths actually worked in the real world|Karen Hao|October 2, 2020|MIT Technology Review
Anecdotally, crime is slightly down in Ferguson since Brown died, DeCarli said.
Ferguson’s Only Unsolved Murder|Justin Glawe|October 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Anecdotally, some babies are ‘never the same’ after vaccines.
From ‘Clueless’ to Clueless: Alicia Silverstone’s ‘The Kind Mama’|Lizzie Crocker|April 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“Anecdotally I can tell you that the take-up rate is fairly small,” said Smyth.
Walmart’s New Embrace of Gay Employees a Sign of Corporate Shift|Daniel Gross|August 29, 2013|DAILY BEAST
“Anecdotally, we have U.S. citizens who smuggle drugs, in large amounts sometimes,” he says.
At Mexican Border, Four in Five Drug Busts Involve American Citizens|Andrew Becker, G. W. Schulz, Tia Ghose|March 26, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Anecdotally, the influx of immigrants from Latin America and East Asia seems to have strengthened Latino and Asian identities.
How Ethnic Can Our Politicians Be?|Reihan Salam|June 11, 2010|DAILY BEAST
Instruction must be carried on objectively, experimentally, anecdotally.
Talks To Teachers On Psychology; And To Students On Some Of Life's Ideals|William James

British Dictionary definitions for anecdotal

anecdotal

/ (ˌænɛkˈdəʊtəl) /

adjective

containing or consisting exclusively of anecdotes rather than connected discourse or research conducted under controlled conditions

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

anecdotal

Origin of anecdotal

OTHER WORDS FROM anecdotal

Words related to anecdotal

How to use anecdotal in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for anecdotal