Word Confusion: Anecdote versus Antidote

Posted June 16, 2014 by Kathy Davie in Author Resources, Self-Editing, Word Confusions, Writing

Revised as of
23 June 2023

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Hmmm, anecdote or antidote? Well, I know which one I want to swallow if I ever get snakebit! You can always tell me your story later!

Of course, your anecdote may be so b-o-r-i-n-g that I want to swallow an antidote if I have to listen to it or I may prefer to succumb to the snakebite, but, well, the only other antidote I can think of is drinking until I’m stupid or asleep. I could always leave . . . Perhaps I could sic the snake on you, hmmm, that has possibilities . . .

Word Confusions . . .

. . . started as my way of dealing with a professional frustration with properly spelled words that were out of context in manuscripts I was editing as well as books I was reviewing. It evolved into a sharing of information with y’all. I’m hoping you’ll share with us words that have been a bête noire for you from either end.

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Anecdote	Antidote
Storyteller Annie Tomlin, White Springs, Florida, is courtesy of State Library and Archives of Florida and has no known copyright restrictions, via Wikimedia Commons. — Anecdotes are told by people who tell stories.	Gentle Emetic by James Gillray is courtesy of Wellcome Images. Uploaded by Fæ, it under the CC BY 4.0 license, via Wikimedia Commons. — Emetics are a common antidote to many ills.
Part of Grammar:
Noun Plural: anecdotes, anecdota	Noun; Verb, transitive Plural for the noun: antidotes Third person present verb: antidotes Past tense or past participle: antidoted Present participle: antidoting
A short and amusing or interesting story about a real incident or person An account regarded as unreliable or hearsay Depiction of a minor narrative incident in a painting [Homeopathy] Substance that cancels or opposes the effect of a remedy	Noun: Medicine taken or given to counteract a particular poison Something that counteracts or neutralizes an unpleasant feeling or situation Verb, transitive: Counteract or cancel with a medicine or external remedy
Examples:
Great Aunt Mabel was full of anecdotes about the family. James was always telling anecdotes about his job. George had a rich store of anecdotes. His wife’s death has long been the subject of rumor and anecdote.	Noun: Laughter is the best medicine, an antidote to stress. Quick, give him the antidote! Good jobs are the best antidote to teenage crime. Verb, transitive: What remedy will antidote Bryonia? What remedy will antidote henbane? Medication was given to antidote the poison the child had swallowed.
Derivatives:
Adjective: anecdotal, anecdotic Noun: anecdotalist, anecdotist	Adjective: antidotal, antidotical Adverb: antidotally, antidotically
History of the Word:
Late 17th century via the modern Latin from the Greek anekdota, things unpublished, from an- (not) + ekdotos, from ekdidōnai meaning publish.	Late Middle English from the Greek antidoton, neuter of antidotos meaning given against, from anti- (against) + didonai (give).

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C’mon, get it out of your system, bitch, whine, moan . . . which words are your pet peeves? Also, please note that I try to be as accurate as I can, but mistakes happen or I miss something. Email me if you find errors, so I can fix them . . . and we’ll all benefit!

Satisfy your curiosity about other Word Confusions on its homepage or more generally explore the index of self-editing posts. You may also want to explore Book Layout & Formatting Ideas, Formatting Tips, Grammar Explanations, Linguistics, Publishing Tips, the Properly Punctuated, Writing Ideas and Resources, and Working Your Website.

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