infotainment
noun
Did you know?
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
ArsTechnica, 1 May 2025
Instead, you are supposed to bring your own devices to provide the infotainment while driving the Slate.
—Damon C. Williams, USA Today, 26 Apr. 2025
Automakers can pack tweaks that aren't part of a recall into the system, including customer enhancements like fresh skin options for the infotainment system and algorithm changes that improve a vehicle's charging curve.
—Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 19 Mar. 2025
Music services deliver Atmos directly through apps found within the vehicle’s infotainment system.
—Mark Phelan, USA Today, 24 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for infotainment
Cite this Entry
“Infotainment.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/infotainment. Accessed 23 May. 2025.
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