What does "information" mean?
Something that provides a definitive characterization or description of the nature and attributes of a specified entity.
Information
/ˌɪn.fɚˈmeɪ.ʃn̩/ noun
noun ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Something that provides a definitive characterization or description of the nature and attributes of a specified entity.
- Grammar: information is listed as noun.
- Nearest alternatives: data, account, accusal, accusation.
- Useful contrasts: confusion, ignorance, noise.
- Usage evidence: What changes the world is communication, not information.
How to use "information"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "information" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "information" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "information" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "information" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "information" is acting as noun in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "data" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "information", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Something that provides a definitive characterization or description of the nature and attributes of a specified entity. uncountable, usually
"And now we come to the third keystone, information.⁸ Information may be thought of as a reduction in entropy—as the ingredient that distinguishes an orderly, structured system from the vast set of random, useless ones.⁹ Imagine pages of random characters tapped out by a monkey at a typewriter, or a stretch of white noise from a radio tuned between channels, or a screenful of confetti from a corrupted computer file. Each of these objects can take trillions of different forms, each as boring as the next. But now suppose that the devices are controlled by a signal that arranges the characters or sound waves or pixels into a pattern that correlates with something in the world: the Declaration of Independence, the opening bars of “Hey Jude,” a cat wearing sunglasses. We say that the signal transmits information about the Declaration or the song or the cat.¹⁰"
- 2 (communication theory) a numerical measure of the uncertainty of an outcome wordnet
- 3 Things that are or can be known about a given topic; communicable knowledge of something. uncountable, usually
"I need some more information about this issue."
- 4 knowledge acquired through study or experience or instruction wordnet
- 5 The act of informing or imparting knowledge; notification. uncountable, usually
"For your information, I did this because I wanted to."
Show 13 more definitions
- 6 a message received and understood wordnet
- 7 A statement of criminal activity brought before a judge or magistrate; in the UK, used to inform a magistrate of an offence and request a warrant; in the US, an accusation brought before a judge without a grand jury indictment. countable, usually
"On May 21, 1792, the Attorney General filed an information against Paine charging him with seditious libel."
- 8 formal accusation of a crime wordnet
- 9 The act of informing against someone, passing on incriminating knowledge; accusation. obsolete, uncountable, usually
- 10 a collection of facts from which conclusions may be drawn wordnet
- 11 The systematic imparting of knowledge; education, training. archaic, uncountable, usually
- 12 The creation of form; the imparting of a given quality or characteristic; forming, animation. archaic, uncountable, usually
- 13 The meaning that a human assigns to data by means of the known conventions used in its representation. formal, uncountable, usually
- 14 Divine inspiration. uncountable, usually
"But there was no information, and so we continued And arrived at evening, not a moment too soon"
- 15 A service provided by telephone which provides listed telephone numbers of a subscriber. uncountable, usually
- 16 Any unambiguous abstract data, the smallest possible unit being the bit. uncountable, usually
- 17 The output resulting from the systematic collection, manipulation and organization of raw data into a structured, interpretable format. uncountable, usually
- 18 Any ordered sequence of symbols (or signals) (that could contain a message). uncountable, usually
Example
"What changes the world is communication, not information."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "information"?
Common synonyms include: data, account, accusal, accusation, accusing, acquaintance.
How do you use "information" in a sentence?
What changes the world is communication, not information.
How do you pronounce "information"?
Pronounced /ˌɪn.fɚˈmeɪ.ʃn̩/.
Etymology
From Middle English enformacioun, informacioun, borrowed from Anglo-Norman informacioun, enformation, Old French information, from Latin īnfōrmātiō (“formation, conception; education”), from the participle stem of īnformāre (“to inform”). Equivalent to inform + -ation.