Meaning & use
anecdotal data
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Meaning
noununcountabletechnical
Information based on personal stories or individual cases instead of systematic measurement, so it cannot reliably show what is true in general.
Grammar: Used with singular verbs: anecdotal data is not enough.
Patterns
- anecdotal data about something
Anecdotal data suggests the drug helps, but there is no trial yet.
The report relied on anecdotal data from a few teachers.
Anecdotal data is a starting point, not a conclusion.
Common combinations
- rely on anecdotal data
- The company relied on anecdotal data to plan sales.
- based on anecdotal data
- The claim was based on anecdotal data.
- limited anecdotal data
- There is only limited anecdotal data available.
- collect anecdotal data
- Researchers collected anecdotal data from patients.
Synonyms and how they differ
- anecdotal evidence
- Anecdotal evidence is nearly the same but sounds more like an argument, while data suggests a collected set.
- hearsay
- Hearsay is secondhand talk with no source, whereas anecdotal data may come from firsthand stories.
- personal accounts
- Personal accounts is neutral and does not carry the implied weakness as proof.
Opposites
Word family
- anecdote noun
- a short personal story
- anecdotal adjective
- based on stories, not systematic study
- anecdotally adverb
- according to stories rather than measurement
- data noun
- facts and figures collected
Commonly confused: anecdotal data or antidote?
anecdotal data vs antidote
An antidote is a remedy against poison, with a similar sound but a different meaning.
Practice
Why is anecdotal data considered weak?
Choose one answer.
Anecdotal data is limited because it is based on individual cases. It may be true, but it is not always false.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “anecdotal data”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.