anecdote
noun
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The Greek Smear Job at the Root of Anecdote
The Byzantine official Procopius wrote three historical works in Greek. In the first two, he dealt with wars and public works projects, but the third was something of a departure from this kind of history. Referred to as "Anekdota," from the Greek a- meaning "not," and ekdidonai, meaning "to publish," it contained bitter attacks on the emperor Justinian, his wife, and other notables of contemporary Constantinople. Understandably, it was not published until after its writer's death. English speakers originally used an anglicized version of the book's name for similar secret or unpublished histories or biographies, and by the 17th century, the meaning of anecdote had been broadened to cover any interesting or amusing personal tale.
Examples of anecdote in a Sentence
Margaret O'Brien Steinfels, Commonweal, 11 Sept. 2009
If Antony had won, of course, the story would have been very different. Indeed, despite the dominance of the Augustan version of events, a few hostile anecdotes about the young Octavian probably offer a glimpse of what Antony's side was saying.
—Mary Beard, New York Review of Books, 12 Feb. 2009
appalling by turn, the dominant figure here is, as it should be, Evelyn.
—Evelyn Toynton, Harper's, August 2007
Any competent science reporter knows anecdotes are not data and that one dramatic story proves nothing.
—Editor & Publisher, 4 Nov. 2002
Deeply convinced of her own unattractiveness, frequently lonely and unimaginably needy, Joplin was a person who lived all over the page. It is impossible to read about her and not crave more anecdotes and personal details of such a wanton, tragic life.
—Kim France, New York Times Book Review, 2 May 1999
Alexander's use of the family's private papers—the Waughs were prolific writers of letters and diaries as well as books—not only adds richly to the entertainment value of his account but also serves to illuminate just how tangled are the threads of filial love, hurt, awe, and competitiveness that run through their work. Although he ranges freely over two centuries of family anecdotes, amusing and
He told us all sorts of humorous anecdotes about his childhood.
told us once again that anecdote about the dog and the bike
Greg Evans, Deadline, 6 Apr. 2026
O’Brien, 86, is a gleeful raconteur who has worked as a director in the theater since the 1960s, picking up four Tony Awards along the way, including for Hairspray, and has enough anecdotes to fill at least two memoirs.
—Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 6 Apr. 2026
The anecdote comes off less like an afterschool special and more like a reflection on the strange in-between zones where Hornsby has always thrived.
—Sam Sodomsky, Pitchfork, 3 Apr. 2026
Tobacco industry jobs in future Cuba Conversations at the home of plastic surgeon Jorge Suárez Menéndez, the night’s host, continued amid anecdotes of how many of the families’ businesses were founded by immigrants, both in Cuba and the United States.
—Sarah Moreno
updated April 1, Miami Herald, 1 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for anecdote
Cite this Entry
“Anecdote.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/anecdote. Accessed 8 Apr. 2026.
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anecdote
noun
