anecdotal

UK: /ˌænɪkˈdəʊt^əl/ US: (an′ik dōt′l, an′ik dōt′l)

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

an•ec•do•tal  (an′ik dōt′l, an′ik dōt′l), adj. 

1. pertaining to, resembling, or containing anecdotes:
   an anecdotal history of jazz.
2. Fine Art (of the treatment of subject matter in representational art) pertaining to the relationship of figures or to the arrangement of elements in a scene so as to emphasize the story content of a subject. Cf. narrative (def. 6).
3. based on personal observation, case study reports, or random investigations rather than systematic scientific evaluation:
   anecdotal evidence.

• anecdote + -al¹ 1830–40

an′ec•do′tal•ism, n. 
an′ec•do′tal•ly, adv. 

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

anecdotal / ˌænɛkˈdəʊt^əl/ adjective

1. containing or consisting exclusively of anecdotes rather than connected discourse or research conducted under controlled conditions