anecdote

American  

[an-ik-doht] / ˈæn ɪkˌdoʊt /

noun

plural

anecdotes, anecdota

1. a short account of a particular incident or event, especially of an interesting or amusing nature.

2. a short, obscure historical or biographical account.

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anecdote British  

/ ˈænɪkˌdəʊt /

noun

1. a short usually amusing account of an incident, esp a personal or biographical one

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Other Word Forms

• anecdotalist noun
• anecdotic adjective

Etymology

Origin of anecdote

First recorded in 1670–80; from New Latin anecdota or French anecdotes, from Late Greek, Greek anékdota “things unpublished” (referring particularly to Procopius's unpublished memoirs of Justinian and Theodora), neuter plural of anékdotos, equivalent to an- an- ¹ + ékdotos “given out,” adjective derivative of ekdidónai “to give out, publish” ( ek- ec- + didónai “to give”)

Compare meaning

How does anecdote compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• anecdote vs. antidote

Explanation

A short, amusing true story is an anecdote. You might come back from a crazy spring break with a lot of anecdotes to tell. The roots of anecdote lie in the Greek word anekdota, meaning "unpublished." The word's original sense in English was "secret or private stories" — tales not fit for print, so to speak. It can still have connotations of unreliability, as in the phrase "anecdotal information." But the most common sense today is that of "a funny story about something that happened."

Example Sentences

And Wiseman relayed an amusing anecdote about Canadian Hansen, whose trip around the Moon was also his first time in space.

From Barron's • Apr. 7, 2026

On the anecdote side, there are examples such as the Philippines declaring a national fuel emergency, South Korea restricting public-sector vehicle use and Australia seeing many fuel stations running out of gasoline.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 6, 2026

The awards are nicknamed "the Oscars" thanks to an anecdote that stretches back to 1931.

From BBC • Mar. 14, 2026

But his thoughtful undertaking, and his imaginative synthesis of anecdote with history, lived religion with theology, always located in the particular, offers a fresh look at some unchanging human concerns.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 19, 2025

On one holiday visit, he was hanging out with old friends, telling them some anecdote about school, when a strange look suddenly clouded his friends’ eyes.

From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson

Related Words

• episode
• gag
• narration
• narrative
• reminiscence
• short story
• sketch
• tale
• tall tale
• yarn