nonfiction

[ non-fik-shuhn ]

noun

1. the branch of literature comprising works of narrative prose dealing with or offering opinions or conjectures upon facts and reality, including biography, history, and the essay ( fiction and poetry and drama ).
2. works of this class:

   She had read all of his novels but none of his nonfiction.

3. (especially in cataloging books, as in a library or bookstore) all writing or books not fiction, poetry, or drama, including nonfictive narrative prose and reference works; the broadest category of written works.

nonfiction

/ ˌnɒnˈfɪkʃən /

noun

1. writing dealing with facts and events rather than imaginative narration
2. modifier relating to or denoting nonfiction

Derived Forms

• nonˈfictionally, adverb
• nonˈfictional, adjective

Other Words From

• non·fiction·al adjective
• non·fiction·al·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of nonfiction¹

First recorded in 1905–10; non- + fiction