noun

anecdote

AN-ihk-doht

noun

A short, often amusing story about a real event or person.

"He opened his speech with a funny anecdote about his first job."

"She shared an anecdote about meeting the author years earlier."

How to Use Anecdote

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishA brief true story, usually told to illustrate a point or entertain, rather than a formal or statistical account.

Common mistake

"Anecdotal evidence" means evidence based on personal stories rather than rigorous data — it's often less reliable than it sounds.

Common pairings

a funny anecdote share an anecdote anecdotal evidence

anecdoted past tense, anecdotes plural, anecdotes singular

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Can you complete this real example?

He opened his speech with a funny _____ about his first job.

From French anecdote, ultimately from Greek anekdotos, "unpublished" — originally referring to untold behind-the-scenes stories.

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