Meanings
- uncountableA genre of writing that uses literary styles and techniques to create factually accurate narratives.
The danger, as genre-defying or creative nonfiction becomes a genre in its own right—with mix-and-match poised to become a matter of rote—is that no man’s land could become predictably congested.
2015 December 6, Geoff Dyer, “‘Based on a true story’: the fine line between fact and fiction”, in The Guardian2 more examples
The idea of “emotional truth” often pops up during discussions of accuracy in the context of creative nonfiction. Maybe you can't get every detail right, goes the argument, but you can capture a larger meaning that's essentially truthful.
2011, Jack Hart, Storycraft: The Complete Guide to Writing Narrative Nonfiction, University of Chicago Press, →ISBN, page 224He’d arrived at the perfect time: when authenticity was more about the truth behind feelings rather than facts, when the now-accepted genres “auto-fiction” and “creative nonfiction” were blooming, and when our ideas of subjectivity were being shaken by an explosion of “reality” television.
2018 December 4, Sian Cain, “There’s more to this bad fiction than bad sex – between the lines is privilege”, in The GuardianSynonyms: literary nonfiction, narrative nonfiction
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA genre of writing that uses literary styles and techniques to create factually accurate narratives.
Cite this entry
creative nonfiction. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/creative%20nonfiction
“creative nonfiction.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/creative%20nonfiction. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “creative nonfiction,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/creative%20nonfiction.
Source: creative nonfiction on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.