Definition

Noun: 1. A short, often amusing or interesting, account of a real incident or person, especially a biographical one. An anecdote is a brief, self-contained story, typically based on a personal experience or a specific event, told to illustrate a point or to be entertaining.

Usage

• Anecdotes are commonly used in conversation, speeches, and writing to make a topic more relatable, memorable, or engaging.
• They are often personal but can also be about other people.
• While often humorous, an anecdote can also be insightful, surprising, or poignant.

Examples

• She began her lecture with a humorous anecdote about her first day as a teacher.
• The biography is filled with fascinating anecdotes about the author's travels.
• He told an anecdote about the time he met the president to illustrate his point about chance encounters.

Advanced Usage

• Anecdotal evidence: Information based on personal accounts or stories rather than on systematic, scientific research. While it can be compelling, it is often considered unreliable for drawing general conclusions.
  • His argument was based on anecdotal evidence rather than statistical data.

Variants and Related Words

• Anecdotal (adjective): Pertaining to, resembling, or based on anecdotes.
  • The report included anecdotal accounts from several witnesses.
• Anecdotist (noun): A person who tells or collects anecdotes. (This is a less common word.)

Synonyms

• Story
• Tale
• Reminiscence
• Vignette
• Yarn (informal)

Idioms and Phrases

• To recount/relate an anecdote: To tell an anecdote.
  • He recounted an amusing anecdote from his childhood.
• Anecdote-rich: Containing many anecdotes.
  • It was an anecdote-rich memoir that kept readers entertained.

Noun

1. short account of an incident (especially a biographical one)