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anecdote was our Word of the Day on 02/10/2009. Hear the podcast!
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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
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One of these dodos supposedly lived in London and is mentioned in a 1638 anecdote.
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But here’s a quirky anecdote in the New York Times’s temperature check on the ad community’s reaction.
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People laugh, but before anyone has a chance to wonder what the point of the anecdote was, Rucker turns around, reaches up high and tears down the brown paper covering the windows.
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But one detail of that anecdote probably wasn't true, New Orleans coach Sean Payton told Sports Illustrated's Peter King for his Monday MMQB report.
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Her colleagues are leaking damaging anecdotes about her and husband Jared Kushner.
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Her colleagues are leaking damaging anecdotes about her and husband Jared Kushner.
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These types of anecdotes don’t surprise Saguaro coach Jason Mohns.
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Larry’s House Universal Pictures Jared Cowan One of the best known anecdotes about The Big Lebowski is how the character of brash Vietnam vet, Walter Sobchak (John Goodman), was partly based on John Milius, writer-director of Conan the Barbarian.
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.
anecdote Synonyms
ANECDOTE Defined for English Language Learners
Definition of anecdote for English Language Learners
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: a short story about an interesting or funny event or occurrence
ANECDOTE Defined for Kids
Definition of anecdote for Students
: a short story about something interesting or funny in a person's life
Learn More about anecdote
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See words that rhyme with anecdote Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for anecdote Spanish Central: Translation of anecdote Nglish: Translation of anecdote for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of anecdote for Arabic speakers
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