factoid

[ fak-toid ]

/ ˈfæk tɔɪd /

Save This Word!

noun

an insignificant or trivial fact.

something fictitious or unsubstantiated that is presented as fact, devised especially to gain publicity and accepted because of constant repetition.

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of factoid

First recorded in 1973; fact + -oid

OTHER WORDS FROM factoid

fac·toi·dal, adjective

Words nearby factoid

factitious, factitious disorder, factitive, factive, fact of life, factoid, factor, factorage, factor analysis, factor cost, factor group

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use factoid in a sentence

Factoids like this often form the basis of conservative and libertarian arguments about government waste or overreach.
Humans solve problems by adding complexity, even when it’s against our best interests|Christopher Ingraham|April 16, 2021|Washington Post
The answers to factoid questions are easy to find in knowledge bases compared with nuanced complex open-domain questions such as the one in the passage indexing example provided by Google.
Could Google passage indexing be leveraging BERT?|Dawn Anderson|October 29, 2020|Search Engine Land
Each of these factoids gets joined up with billions of others in a sprawling, interconnected network of facts.
This know-it-all AI learns by reading the entire web nonstop|Will Heaven|September 4, 2020|MIT Technology Review
The Democratic PACs had outraised them, which is an interesting little factoid in and of itself.
Is the GOP Finally Scorching Itself?|Michael Tomasky|September 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST

What is wrong and embarrassing is the President of the United States reciting a massively discredited factoid.
No, Women Don’t Make Less Money Than Men|Christina Hoff Sommers|February 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Though it does note that she has a tattoo—and that factoid is helpfully paired with the phrase “tough as nails.”
Leave Jill Abramson Alone, You Sexists|Tricia Romano|April 24, 2013|DAILY BEAST
And by consumer and supplier agreement, no fact, factoid, or truthiness is too small to register.
Can the Heart and Blood-Pressure Pill Propranolol Cure Racism?|Kent Sepkowitz|March 13, 2012|DAILY BEAST
McCarthy contributes the factoid, “We have four million more government jobs in America than manufacturing jobs.”
Paul Ryan Breaks Rank|John Batchelor|September 26, 2010|DAILY BEAST

British Dictionary definitions for factoid

factoid

/ (ˈfæktɔɪd) /

noun

a piece of unreliable information believed to be true because of the way it is presented or repeated in print

Word Origin for factoid

C20 (coined by Norman Mailer): from fact + -oid

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012