nonfiction

[non-fik-shuh n]

noun

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 and drama).

works of this class: She had read all of his novels but none of his nonfiction.

(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.

Origin of nonfiction

First recorded in 1905–10; non- + fiction

Related formsnon·fic·tion·al, adjectivenon·fic·tion·al·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for non-fiction

essay, story, text, fiction, speech, writing, composition, nonfiction, version, fantasy, fable, biography, information, feature, book, comedy, memoir, description, myth, autobiography

Examples from the Web for non-fiction

Contemporary Examples of non-fiction

His non-fiction fills, or helps to fill, the void left by Foster Wallace.
Charles D’Ambrosio’s X-Ray Vision Is On Full Display In His New Essay Collection.
Steve Almond
November 14, 2014
Orlean taught us to look and listen, while Wheeler explored how to use dialogue in non-fiction.
Want to Write a Book? Go to Iceland
Adam LeBor
May 26, 2014
Non-fiction books are great because they provide you with a lot of interesting and often actionable knowledge.
The Best Apps for Developing Sherlock Holmes-Like Reading Skills
Ari Meisel
March 25, 2014
And anyway, I try not to draw a dividing line between fiction and non-fiction.
Image is Everything: An Interview with Alejandro Zambra
Juan Vidal
February 28, 2014
I like to work on four or five books at a time —fiction, non-fiction, poetry.
Image is Everything: An Interview with Alejandro Zambra
Juan Vidal
February 28, 2014

Historical Examples of non-fiction

Non-fiction books which are likely to remain in use for a longer period of years may need to be rebound and trimmed again.
Library Bookbinding
Arthur Low Bailey
Do you stamp fiction and non-fiction on different parts of the same card?
Papers and proceedings of the thirty-fifth general meeting of the American Library Association, 1913
Various
Do you use the same colored ink for fiction and non-fiction?
Papers and proceedings of the thirty-fifth general meeting of the American Library Association, 1913
Various
Are fiction and non-fiction cards separated under the day's issue?
Papers and proceedings of the thirty-fifth general meeting of the American Library Association, 1913
Various
In the next lot, was placed about 15 per cent of non-fiction, carefully selected.
Papers and proceedings of the thirty-fifth general meeting of the American Library Association, 1913
Various

British Dictionary definitions for non-fiction

nonfiction

noun

writing dealing with facts and events rather than imaginative narration

(modifier) relating to or denoting nonfiction

Derived Formsnonfictional, adjectivenonfictionally, adverb

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

Word Origin and History for non-fiction

adj.

also nonfiction, 1909 (non-fictional is from 1903), from non- + fiction.