Definition of INFOTAINMENT

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Infotainment, a blend of "information" and "entertainment," first appeared in the early 1980s. Not everyone approves of "infotainment" and similar pieced-together, media-derived words (e.g., "infomercial" and "edutainment"), however. New York Times Magazine writer Joe Morgenstern referred to "infotainment" as "a plastic word, stuck together with show-biz epoxy." An editorialist for a New England newspaper called it "a nauseating word" that "has crept into the language without an invitation." Unfortunately for such detractors, the word continues to be used today. Not only that, but a new, distinct sense of the word is emerging. People in the automotive industry have recently begun using "infotainment" to refer to the state-of-the-art multimedia technologies (such as GPS systems and Internet radio) now available to drivers at the push of a button.

Examples of infotainment in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

After holding out for years, Toyota announced this past January that Apple’s own in-car infotainment service would show up in its cars starting with the 2019 Avalon. — Sean O'kane, The Verge, "Toyota reportedly ready to put Android Auto in its cars," 24 Sep. 2018 View 24 Photos An all-new touchpad user interface for infotainment functions also makes its debut in the RDX. — Andrew Wendler, Car and Driver, "2019 Acura RDX Crossover: Return of the Turbocharged Four," 29 Mar. 2018 Partial-leather seat trim is standard starting in EX models, and the standard 7.0-inch infotainment touchscreen means that Niro owners will at least have access to the latest in connectivity. — Car and Driver, "2018 Kia Niro," 6 Mar. 2018 The Polestar’s infotainment system will be powered by Android. — Ezra Dyer, Popular Mechanics, "The Polestar 2 Is the First Car to Directly Challenge the Tesla Model 3," 27 Feb. 2019 Tesla argues that our attention is already divided while driving, between the road, our phones, and the infotainment screens, and this new automated feature is designed to help us focus on the road ahead by giving us less to do. — Andrew J. Hawkins, The Verge, "Tesla’s Navigate on Autopilot is like Waze on steroids," 6 Nov. 2018 Even without the display behind the steering wheel, VW’s latest infotainment system is a delight. — Gary Gastelu, Fox News, "The 2019 Volkswagen Jetta is making a last stand for sedans," 24 Aug. 2018 The Samsung-Harman duo was the second-largest auto infotainment supplier in 2017, with $4.8 billion in revenue, according to Strategy Analytics, second only to Panasonic PCRFY -2.82% and Sanyo’s $5.1 billion. — Timothy W. Martin, WSJ, "The Coming Battle Over the Car Cockpit," 12 Nov. 2018 The command center is very easy and intuitive, with large MyLink infotainment virtual buttons on the 8-inch screen, and four round knobs to control audio functions and climate control. — Ben Stewart, Popular Mechanics, "2014 Chevrolet Impala Test Drive," 19 Mar. 2013

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