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.

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nonfiction British  

/ ˌnɒnˈfɪkʃən /

noun

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

2. (modifier) relating to or denoting nonfiction

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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

Antidote Books, led by Joel Simons, a former publisher at HarperCollins UK, will publish idea-driven nonfiction on a range of subjects, whether it’s technology, ethics, history, current affairs or ideas around power.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026

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

She recently turned down a nonfiction writer whose work she was excited about after they admitted to using AI frequently—not to write, they claimed, but to get inspiration.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026

The title just debuted at #12 on the New York Times combined print and e-book nonfiction bestseller list.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026

He’d also sold his idea for a nonfiction book about race and identity to a New York publisher, which for someone who worshipped books as he did felt like an enormous and humbling boon.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama