nonfiction

noun

non·​fic·​tion ˌnän-ˈfik-shən 

: writing or cinema that is about facts and real events

He prefers to read nonfiction rather than novels.

nonfictional

ˌnän-ˈfik-shnəl 

-shə-nᵊl

adjective

Examples of nonfiction in a Sentence

He reads a lot of nonfiction.

Recent Examples on the Web

The New York Times bestseller REMEMBER is her first work of nonfiction. — Big Think, 31 July 2026

This year’s crop of books includes a mix of fiction and nonfiction. — Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 30 July 2026

Friends of the Roswell Library Book Sale Stock your bookshelves with bargains — including $1 novels and nonfiction and 50-cent cookbooks — as your purchases benefit the Roswell Library. — Mary Caldwell, AJC.com, 28 July 2026

Which book-publishing company was founded by Leonard and Virginia Woolf in 1917 — and eventually lent its name to a current imprint for contemporary fiction and nonfiction? — J. D. Biersdorfer, New York Times, 27 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1867, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for nonfiction

• addiction
• affliction
• constriction
• conviction
• depiction
• eviction
• infliction
• prediction
• restriction
• antifriction
• benediction
• contradiction

Kids Definition

nonfiction

noun

non·​fic·​tion ˈnän-ˈfik-shən 

: literature or cinema that is not fictional

nonfictional

(ˈ)nän-ˈfik-shnəl 

-shən-ᵊl

adjective