Definition of FACTOID

factoid

Meanings

Plural: factoids

Noun

  • something resembling a fact; unverified (often invented) information that is given credibility because it appeared in print
  • a brief (usually one sentence and usually trivial) news item
  • An inaccurate statement or statistic believed to be true because of broad repetition, especially if cited in the media.
  • An interesting item of trivia; a minor fact.

Origin / Etymology

From fact + -oid (“similar, but not the same”); coined by American writer Norman Mailer in 1973 in Marilyn: A Biography, defined as "facts which have no existence before appearing in a magazine or newspaper, creations which are not so much lies as a product to manipulate emotion in the Silent Majority".

Scrabble Score: 13

factoid is a valid Scrabble (US) TWL word
factoid is a valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
factoid is a valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 14

factoid is a valid Words With Friends word