Trivia Time

What type of anecdotes did 6th-century historian Procopius tell in his book Anekdota?

Test Your Knowledge

anecdote

American  

[an-ik-doht] / ˈæn ɪkˌdoʊt /

noun

• anecdotes,
  plural
• anecdota
  plural

1. a short account of a particular incident or event, especially of an interesting or amusing nature.

2. a short, obscure historical or biographical account.

---

anecdote British  

/ ˈænɪkˌdəʊt /

noun

1. a short usually amusing account of an incident, esp a personal or biographical one

---

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• anecdotalist
  noun
• anecdotic
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• anecdota
  plural
• anecdotes
  plural

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First recorded in 1670–80; from New Latin anecdota or French anecdotes, from Late Greek, Greek anékdota “things unpublished” (referring particularly to Procopius's unpublished memoirs of Justinian and Theodora), neuter plural of anékdotos, equivalent to an- an- ¹ + ékdotos “given out,” adjective derivative of ekdidónai “to give out,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

How does anecdote compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• anecdote vs. antidote

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 The roots of anecdote lie in the Greek word anekdota, meaning "unpublished."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."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

anecdote anecdota anecdotes

The point is to be wary of argument by anecdote, since the trading database is a big haystack, and journalists are pattern-seeking animals.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026

A revealing anecdote from the early pages of the book: Tana turned away Barbara Sinatra’s offer to buy out the restaurant for a night for Frank Sinatra’s birthday at $25,000.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026

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

He sees claims of anti-American sentiment in Europe as greatly exaggerated -- and has an anecdote to prove it.

From Barron's ● Apr. 21, 2026

An off-color anecdote, a laugh in the wrong place.

From "Native Speaker" by Chang-rae Lee

Happily, this soon gives way to anecdota and reminiscence.

From Time Magazine Archive

Fortunately, Benson has been so diligent in gathering papers and anecdota that he escapes from his own simplifications.

From Time Magazine Archive

Of such anecdota there are many collections; the earliest was probably L. A. Muratori's, in 1709.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 2, Part 1, Slice 1 by Various

"When you dive into the Iliad, you really understand that Homer was an Anatolian. You find anecdotes and cultural references that are completely unknown elsewhere," he said.

From Barron's ● Aug. 17, 2026

At oral argument, Solicitor General John Sauer could only provide anecdotes about newspaper clippings from China, but admitted that “no one knows” the true number.

From Slate ● Aug. 11, 2026

A quintessential cool dad casually sipping on an iced Diet Coke as he shares anecdotes about his passion for acting.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026

Visitors will be able to sit and listen to memories, anecdotes and reflections from actors, writers, directors, designers, past and present staff, and audience members.

From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2026

I'm sorry if these anecdotes make you angry.

From "I Can Make This Promise" by Christine Day

Related Words

• episode
• gag
• narration
• narrative
• reminiscence
• short story
• sketch
• tale
• tall tale
• yarn