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 In an endlessly amusing factoid, their classic 1993 album Last Splash was released 10 years before Rodrigo was born. —

Spin Staff, SPIN, 15 July 2024 Here are other historical factoids about Oakland’s All-Star history: — Mark McGwire’s nine All-Star selections are the most in Oakland history, followed by Reggie Jackson (six), Ricky Henderson (six), Bert Campaneris (five), and Jose Canseco (five). —

Cam Inman, The Mercury News, 7 July 2024 The show delivers on the cattiness and the glamor and the factoids, like that Capote served everyone spaghetti and chicken hash alongside the champagne. —

Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 1 Feb. 2024 One more Persol fest factoid: The brand will be represented at the premiere of Gilles Lellouche’s Cannes Film Festival 2024 competition title Beating Hearts, starring François Civil and Adèle Exarchopoulos, who will be a brand sponsor. —

Chris Gardner, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 May 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.