anecdotal

[an-ik-doht-l, an-ik-doht-l] /ˈæn ɪkˌdoʊt l, ˌæn ɪkˈdoʊt l/
adjective
1.
pertaining to, resembling, or containing anecdotes:
an anecdotal history of jazz.
2.
(of the treatment of subject matter in representational art) pertaining to the relationship of figures or to the arrangement of elements in a scene so as to emphasize the story content of a subject.
Compare narrative (def 6).
3.
based on personal observation, case study reports, or random investigations rather than systematic scientific evaluation:
anecdotal evidence.
Origin
1830-40; anecdote + -al1
Related forms
anecdotalism, noun
anecdotally, adverb
unanecdotal, adjective
unanecdotally, adverb
Examples from the web for anecdotal
  • The result is a museum that mixes the formal and informal, the educational and anecdotal.
  • These reviews are more like what you would find in a guidebook than in an anecdotal consumer review.
  • Yet, the players' anecdotal evidence backs up the statistics.
  • His evidence was not scholarly, but merely anecdotal.
  • Some of the anecdotal evidence is spectacular.
  • But there is neither empirical nor anecdotal evidence.
  • She offers evidence both anecdotal and experimental.
  • Reliance on strictly anecdotal data causes the account to be intriguing but inconclusive.
  • Moving and inspiring, this book is a thoughtful anecdotal study of a important societal issue.
  • This comprehensive but anecdotal book is a curious mix of research and personal essay.
British Dictionary definitions for anecdotal

anecdotal

/ˌænɛkˈdəʊtəl/
adjective
1.
containing or consisting exclusively of anecdotes rather than connected discourse or research conducted under controlled conditions
Word Origin and History for anecdotal
adj.

1794, from anecdote + -al (1). Related: Anecdotally. Anecdotical is attested from 1744.