Definition of "anecdotal" []

• Of, characterized by, or full of anecdotes. (adjective)
• Based on casual observations or indications rather than rigorous or scientific analysis: "There are anecdotal reports of children poisoned by hot dogs roasted over a fire of the [oleander] stems” ( C. Claiborne Ray). (adjective)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "The court paperwork also claimed, based on what it called anecdotal accounts, shoppers no longer wanted to come to the mall, and the clientele that had stayed had caused more crime."
• "This is all what we call anecdotal -- we don't have large numbers to substantiate this, but we think that there may be a potential for patients to get out of the hospital sooner."
• "I thought this was a new low in anecdotal reporting from the Times."