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
Robert Ross, Robb Report, 29 Mar. 2024
Its infotainment system is bigger than the Passport’s and one of the best thanks to its clear menus and crisp graphics.
—Nick Kurczewski, Quartz, 27 Mar. 2024
Those technologies allow drivers to bypass the infotainment system to view their smartphone screens on the instrument panel's display.
—Jamie L. Lareau, Detroit Free Press, 26 Mar. 2024
Rivian owners can find and navigate to Superchargers through their vehicle’s infotainment system, as well as the automaker’s smartphone app.
—Andrew J. Hawkins, The Verge, 18 Mar. 2024
One acts as a customizable instrument cluster, while the other serves as your in-cabin infotainment display, enabling you to immerse yourself fully in your favorite tunes via the 8-speaker Bose premium audio system, which is a bit lacking for the Bose nameplate.
—Kyle Edward, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2024
The feature should come to VW electric vehicles if those vehicles already have the latest infotainment system, VW told Ars.
—Jonathan M. Gitlin, Ars Technica, 8 Jan. 2024
The infotainment system will run on Rivian’s own operating system, and like Tesla, won’t support Apple CarPlay or Android Auto.
—Andrew J. Hawkins, The Verge, 7 Mar. 2024
Safety and other features, along with the Uconnect 5 infotainment system, will sound fairly familiar, but cargo space marks a significant departure for anyone who has driven the current crop of Dodge cars.
—Eric D. Lawrence, Detroit Free Press, 5 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'infotainment.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Articles Related to infotainment
Dictionary Entries Near infotainment
Cite this Entry
“Infotainment.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/infotainment. Accessed 26 Apr. 2024.
Copy Citation
Share