anecdote
Americannoun
plural
anecdotes, anecdota-
a short account of a particular incident or event, especially of an interesting or amusing nature.
-
a short, obscure historical or biographical account.
noun
Other Word Forms
- anecdotalist noun
- anecdotic adjective
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First recorded in 1670–80; from New Latin anecdota or French anecdotes, from Late Greek, Greek anékdota “things unpublished” (referring particularly to Procopius's unpublished memoirs of Justinian and Theodora), neuter plural of anékdotos, equivalent to an- an- 1 + ékdotos “given out,” adjective derivative of ekdidónai “to give out,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”)
Compare meaning
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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.
He said having a program with no set end time creates an atmosphere that can generate intimate anecdotes from guests.
From Los Angeles Times
Buzz is the right word for a city that has the bee as its emblem, and the numbers behind the anecdotes are solid.
From BBC
Reader Cindy Simon from Pacific Palisades shares an anecdote: “I had just moved to L.A. from New Jersey. My friend and I — young mothers — ducked out of our baby-centered life to see ‘American Gigolo.’
From Los Angeles Times
Bringing it home is Sudeikis’ manner as he shares Ted’s folksy anecdote: it contains not a whit of vanity or gloating at his adversary’s downfall.
From Salon
Mr. Cannadine, a distinguished British historian, does not go in for color or fun or illuminating anecdotes.
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.
