nonfiction

noun

non·​fic·​tion ˌnän-ˈfik-shən 

: writing or cinema that is about facts and real events

He prefers to read nonfiction rather than novels.

nonfictional

ˌnän-ˈfik-shnəl 

-shə-nᵊl

adjective

Examples of nonfiction in a Sentence

He reads a lot of nonfiction.

Recent Examples on the Web

To write fiction or narrative nonfiction these days is to fuel real estate speculation. —Francesco Pacifico, The Dial, 9 Dec. 2025

The directors of six of this year’s standout nonfiction films gathered for The Hollywood Reporter’s Documentary Roundtable in mid- November to reflect on the challenges and rewards of their work. —Scott Feinberg, HollywoodReporter, 8 Dec. 2025

The Best Books of 2025 Discover the year’s essential reads in fiction and nonfiction. —Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 8 Dec. 2025

Discovering nonfiction that reads like a story but keeps the scholarship front and center is the great white whale hunt for bookish adventurers. —Brianne Kane, Scientific American, 4 Dec. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1867, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for nonfiction

• addiction
• affliction
• constriction
• conviction
• depiction
• eviction
• infliction
• prediction
• restriction
• antifriction
• benediction
• contradiction

Kids Definition

nonfiction

noun

non·​fic·​tion ˈnän-ˈfik-shən 

: literature or cinema that is not fictional

nonfictional

(ˈ)nän-ˈfik-shnəl 

-shən-ᵊl

adjective