anecdote

noun an·ec·dote \ ˈa-nik-ˌdōt \

|Updated on: 3 Jul 2018

Examples: anecdote in a Sentence

Editor's Note: The Greek Smear Job at the Root of anecdote

Definition of anecdote

plural anecdotes also anecdota play \ˌa-nik-ˈdō-tə\

: a usually short narrative of an interesting, amusing, or biographical incident

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Examples of anecdote in a Sentence

Like many Jesuits who then ate most of their meals in refectories, McKenzie was a master raconteur with endless anecdotes, stories, and one-liners. —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
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 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
He told us all sorts of humorous anecdotes about his childhood.
told us once again that anecdote about the dog and the bike

Recent Examples of anecdote from the Web

Photo: wsj Vanishing Frontiers By Andrew Selee PublicAffairs, 323 pages, $28 Evidence largely supports the anecdotes.

— felipe fernández-armesto, WSJ, "‘Vanishing Frontiers’ Review: The Ties That Bind," 25 June 2018
And while the other five candidates joined Jealous in supporting the legalization of marijuana for recreational purposes, none could match the star power of the former NAACP leader’s anecdote.

— chris kaltenbach, baltimoresun.com, "Ben Jealous has friends in high places: Candidate says he smoked pot with Dave Chappelle," 15 June 2018
Grace also shares a more recent anecdote of representation, as seen in the Jem and the Holograms comic books.

— shanté honeycutt, Billboard, "Laura Jane Grace Reflects on the First Time She Saw Herself Represented in the Media: Watch," 13 June 2018
That story is among the anecdotes detailed in a recent internal report by the Defense Department and the intelligence community about the threat of surveillance inside the Pentagon.

— NBC News, "U.S. officials prepare to thwart Chinese spying at Singapore summit," 8 June 2018
Petri used the anecdotes to demonstrate that the fleets on the street in Philadelphia are declining, and to argue in favor of a change in the way taxis and ride share vehicles are taxed to raise money for inspections.

— jason laughlin, Philly.com, "PPA battles Uber and Lyft in Harrisburg over state of ride share in Philly," 7 June 2018
And the Nixon anecdote reveals that what is left out of Reporter, namely women and a political consciousness that includes women, speaks a little loudly for comfort.

— josephine livingstone, The New Republic, "The Seymour Hersh Weekly," 1 June 2018
Such tracks probably do longer exist today, but the anecdote immediately sheds light on the deeply ingrained gender norms in today’s China.

— jingnan peng, The Christian Science Monitor, "'Our Story' offers a graphic glimpse of a China that no longer exists," 17 May 2018
And that White House source gave the anecdote in the context of saying, Rex Tillerson never got the hang of that.

— recode staff, Recode, "Full transcript: Journalist Ronan Farrow on Recode Decode," 4 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'anecdote.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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.

Origin and Etymology of anecdote

French, from Greek anekdota unpublished items, from neuter plural of anekdotos unpublished, from a- + ekdidonai to publish, from ex out + didonai to give — more at ex-, date

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First Known Use: circa 1721

in the meaning defined above

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