factoid
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fac·toid
(făk′toid)n.
1. A piece of unverified or inaccurate information that is presented in the press as factual, often as part of a publicity effort, and that is then accepted as true because of frequent repetition.
2. A brief, somewhat interesting fact.
fac·toi′dal adj.
Usage Note: The suffix -oid normally means "resembling, having the appearance of." Thus, factoid originally referred to a claim that appears reliable or accurate, often because it has been repeated so frequently that people assume it is true. The word still has this meaning for many writers and readers; in our 2013 survey, 59 percent of the Usage Panel accepted it in the sentence The editorial writer relied on numerous factoids that have long been discredited. But factoid is also often used to mean a brief, somewhat interesting fact, and this sense has become common in recent decades. Some 64 percent of the Panel accepted this usage in the sentence Each issue of the magazine begins with a list of factoids, like how many pounds of hamburger were consumed in Texas last month. As the ballot results indicate, neither usage is overwhelmingly approved. If you use the word factoid, be sure the sentence makes it clear whether you are referring to a spurious claim, on the one hand, or an isolated, trivial, or mildly intriguing fact, on the other.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
factoid
(ˈfæktɔɪd)n
a piece of unreliable information believed to be true because of the way it is presented or repeated in print
[C20 (coined by Norman Mailer): from fact + -oid]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
fac•toid
(ˈfæk tɔɪd)n.
1. something fictitious or unsubstantiated that is presented as fact, devised esp. to gain publicity, and accepted because of constant repetition.
2. an insignificant fact.
[1973, Amer.]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
factoid
- An unsubstantiated statement, account, or report published as if it were factual, coined by the novelist Norman Mailer from fact + -oid (as in android, humanoid), in reference to his fictionalized biography of Marilyn Monroe.See also related terms for published.
Farlex Trivia Dictionary. © 2012 Farlex, Inc. All rights reserved.
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| Noun | 1. | factoid - something resembling a fact; unverified (often invented) information that is given credibility because it appeared in print info, information - a message received and understood |
| 2. | factoid - a brief (usually one sentence and usually trivial) news item news item - an item in a newspaper |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.