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

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 The finger-stylings of the TTI notwithstanding, the infotainment system is bright, blazing fast and well ordered—mastering it gains access to a very good car. — Dan Neil, WSJ, "2019 Acura RDX: Have High-Tech Interfaces Gone Too Far?," 28 Sep. 2018 All models have touch-screen infotainment display — 6.5 inches wide or 8 inches on the SEL. — Mark Maynard, sandiegouniontribune.com, "2019 Volkswagen Jetta: 7th generation wide-body reboot," 6 July 2018 Advanced infotainment and connectivity technology includes Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, and there is also a rearview camera system on all models. — G. Chambers Williams Iii, Houston Chronicle, "All-new Kona: Small crossover joins Hyundai lineup, starts at $19,500," 5 May 2018 In a new design touch, the infotainment pod stands out nicely in front, and the center console can be configured many different ways to access all sorts of stuff. — Scott Sturgis, Philly.com, "2019 Ram 1500 - bigger, faster, hungrier," 28 Apr. 2018

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.