factoid

noun

fac·toid ˈfak-ˌtȯid

Synonyms of factoid next

: an invented fact believed to be true because it appears in print

: a briefly stated and usually trivial fact

Did you know?

Did you know that Norman Mailer coined the word factoid?

We can thank Norman Mailer for factoid: he used the word in his 1973 book Marilyn (about Marilyn Monroe), and he is believed to be the coiner of the word. In the book, he explains that factoids are "facts which have no existence before appearing in a magazine or newspaper, creations which are not so much lies as a product to manipulate emotion in the Silent Majority." Mailer's use of the -oid suffix (which traces back to the ancient Greek word eidos, meaning "appearance" or "form") follows in the pattern of humanoid: just as a humanoid appears to be human but is not, a factoid appears to be factual but is not. The word has since evolved so that now it most often refers to things that decidedly are facts, just not ones that are significant.

Examples of factoid in a Sentence

The book is really just a collection of interesting factoids.

Recent Examples on the Web Fun factoid: Ross Hunter, who produced Pillow Talk, claimed that theater managers did not want to book it. —

Marc Berman, Forbes, 6 Oct. 2024 Another fun factoid: Remember the picture-perfect home the Anderson’s lived in? —

Marc Berman, Forbes, 3 Oct. 2024 Fun factoid: The original name for The Man From U.N.C.L.E. was supposed to be Ian Fleming's Solo, and Ian Fleming, creator of James Bond, was a consultant on the project. —

Marc Berman, Forbes, 22 Sep. 2024 Disappointing surprise that instead of cutting to the traditional camera after In Memoriam, the Emmys brought out Jimmy Kimmel who made an off-color joke about dead people winning something before sharing a few more factoids about the late Bob Newhart. —

Lynette Rice, Deadline, 15 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for factoid

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'factoid.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.