infotainment
noun
Did you know?
Infotainment, a blend of "information" and "entertainment," first appeared in the early 1980s. Not everyone approves of "infotainment" and similar pieced-together, media-derived words (e.g., "infomercial" and "edutainment"), however. New York Times Magazine writer Joe Morgenstern referred to "infotainment" as "a plastic word, stuck together with show-biz epoxy." An editorialist for a New England newspaper called it "a nauseating word" that "has crept into the language without an invitation." Unfortunately for such detractors, the word continues to be used today. Not only that, but a new, distinct sense of the word is emerging. People in the automotive industry have recently begun using "infotainment" to refer to the state-of-the-art multimedia technologies (such as GPS systems and Internet radio) now available to drivers at the push of a button.
Examples of infotainment in a Sentence
Josh Max, Forbes.com, 27 Mar. 2025
Front and rear-seat touch screens for climate infotainment controls.
—Mark Phelan, USA TODAY, 15 Mar. 2025
The key highlight is a standard 10-in infotainment touchscreen that can be optionally upgraded to a 12.9-in screen, upsized from the standard 8-in screen on older Grand California vans.
—New Atlas, 14 Mar. 2025
Equipment includes a standard Subaru STARLINK 11.6-inch Multimedia Plus infotainment system with a high-res touchscreen.
—Michael Harley, Forbes, 11 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for infotainment
Cite this Entry
“Infotainment.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/infotainment. Accessed 1 Apr. 2025.
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