What does "anecdotal evidence" mean?

A limited selection of examples which support or refute an argument, but which are not supported by scientific or statistical analysis.

Anecdotal evidence

Q: What is a synonym for "anecdotal evidence"?

Common synonyms include: anecdotal observation, casual reports, illustrative example, informal, informal evidence, informal reports.

noun

noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun

1
A limited selection of examples which support or refute an argument, but which are not supported by scientific or statistical analysis. uncountable
"Tens of thousands of Portuguese, Greek and Irish people have left their homelands this year, many heading for the southern hemisphere. Anecdotal evidence points to the same happening in Spain and Italy."

Synonyms

All synonyms

anecdotal observation casual reports illustrative example informal informal evidence informal reports

Antonyms

All antonyms

empirical case study evidence empirical study findings experimental evidence peer reviewed substantiation

Example

More examples

"Tens of thousands of Portuguese, Greek and Irish people have left their homelands this year, many heading for the southern hemisphere. Anecdotal evidence points to the same happening in Spain and Italy."

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