Meaning & use
nonfiction
Last updated
Meanings
noununcountable
Writing that deals with real facts, events and people instead of made-up stories.
Grammar: Uncountable, and often used before a noun: nonfiction books.
Patterns
- read nonfiction
- a work of nonfiction
She prefers nonfiction to novels.
The library keeps its nonfiction on the second floor.
His latest book is a work of nonfiction about the Arctic.
noununcountable
Books and other texts that belong in the factual category, especially when sorted in a library or shop.
Grammar: Often used as a section name: the nonfiction aisle.
Patterns
- nonfiction section
Look for biographies in the nonfiction section.
The store reserved a table for new nonfiction.
Her essay was shelved among the nonfiction.
Common combinations
- creative nonfiction
- She teaches a class in creative nonfiction.
- nonfiction book
- A nonfiction book about bees won the prize.
- narrative nonfiction
- Narrative nonfiction reads like a novel but sticks to the facts.
- nonfiction section
- The nonfiction section is on the left.
- bestselling nonfiction
- Bestselling nonfiction includes memoirs and history.
Synonyms and how they differ
- factual writing
- Factual writing is a descriptive phrase, whereas nonfiction is the standard category name.
- documentary
- Documentary usually refers to film or broadcasts, while nonfiction is mostly used of books.
- biography
- A biography is one type of nonfiction about a person's life, so it is narrower.
- reportage
- Reportage is factual reporting in journalism, again narrower than nonfiction.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: nonfiction or non-fiction? nonfiction or fiction?
nonfiction vs non-fiction
Non-fiction with a hyphen is the usual British spelling, while American English writes nonfiction as one word.
nonfiction vs fiction
Fiction is invented, and nonfiction is its opposite, though the two can blur in books based on real events.
Practice
Which book would a librarian shelve as nonfiction?
Choose one answer.
A history of the Roman Empire is based on real events, so it is nonfiction. The others are invented stories.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “nonfiction”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.