nonfiction

American  

[non-fik-shuhn] / nɒnˈfɪk ʃən /

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 anddrama ).

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.

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nonfiction British  

/ ˌnɒnˈfɪkʃən /

noun

1. writing dealing with facts and events rather than imaginative narration

2. (modifier) relating to or denoting nonfiction

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Other Word Forms

• nonfictional adjective
• nonfictionally adverb

Etymology

Origin of nonfiction

First recorded in 1905–10; non- + fiction

Example Sentences

Most known and loved for 1984’s “Paris, Texas,” the filmmaker has more recently devoted his work to nonfiction storytelling.

From Salon • Mar. 6, 2026

But those two events are mere overture to “Fukushima: A Nuclear Nightmare”—a nonfiction thriller that marks the 15th anniversary of what was certainly a catastrophe but might well have been worse.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 5, 2026

Horning said he grew up in a strict Seventh-day Adventist household in Northern California, forbidden from reading anything other than the Bible and approved nonfiction.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 1, 2026

The 2026 Oscar-nominated animated shorts mix the past and the present, fable and nonfiction.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 16, 2026

Now imagine reading a nonfiction book packed with stories such as this—true tales soberly related—just before setting off alone on a camping trip of your own into the North American wilderness.

From "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson