anecdotally

[ an-ik-doht-l-ee ]

adverb

1. through, by means of, or with the inclusion of anecdotes:

   In this book about Old East Yorkshire, famous events, personalities, and buildings are anecdotally presented.

2. as an anecdote:

   The blog post relates anecdotally how someone made $6,000 selling nude photos online.

3. in a way that is based on observation, case studies, or random investigation rather than systematic scientific evaluation:

   This is, of course, a difficult theory to prove in a double-blind study, but it bears out anecdotally.

Other Words From

• un·an·ec·do·tal·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of anecdotally¹

anecdotal ( def ) + -ly

Example Sentences

Presidio called the percentage of F grades highly concerning, adding that anecdotal evidence also suggests children are struggling.

From Washington Post

Most reports of retail theft have been anecdotal, he said, and even 10 months into the pandemic, it’s too early to know the full scope.

From Washington Post

It was the nearest analogy to a golden scarab one finds in our latitudes, a scarabaeid beetle …For scientific minds, such anecdotal evidence did not help Jung make his case.

From Nautilus

The reports, though anecdotal, illustrate the tensions unfolding as more than 33 million Americans have already cast ballots two weeks before Election Day.

From Washington Post

In the two years since the tool’s introduction, anecdotal evidence from Duke Health’s hospital managers and clinicians has suggested that Sepsis Watch really works.

From MIT Technology Review

Anecdotally, crime is slightly down in Ferguson since Brown died, DeCarli said.

From The Daily Beast

Anecdotally, some babies are ‘never the same’ after vaccines.

From The Daily Beast

“Anecdotally I can tell you that the take-up rate is fairly small,” said Smyth.

From The Daily Beast

“Anecdotally, we have U.S. citizens who smuggle drugs, in large amounts sometimes,” he says.

From The Daily Beast

Anecdotally, the influx of immigrants from Latin America and East Asia seems to have strengthened Latino and Asian identities.

From The Daily Beast

Instruction must be carried on objectively, experimentally, anecdotally.

From Project Gutenberg