A tendency or practice of relying heavily on anecdotes rather than systematic evidence or data when making arguments or drawing conclusions.
From anecdote (Greek anekdota, 'unpublished things') combined with the suffix -alism (indicating a practice or system). The term emerged in the 19th century as critics began labeling excessive reliance on stories as a flawed methodology.
Before the modern age of data and statistics, anecdotalism was actually the default way humans reasoned about the world—your grandmother's cure for a cold seemed more convincing than abstract principles. The term captures a fundamental tension between how our brains naturally work (through memorable stories) and how science demands we work (through systematic evidence).
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.