infotainment

noun

in·fo·tain·ment ˌin-(ˌ)fō-ˈtān-mənt

: television programs that present information (such as news) in a manner intended to be entertaining

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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

Recent Examples on the Web

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In addition to a spacious and luxurious interior, top models offer one of the auto industry’s best and most driver-friendly infotainment systems, along with a pair of powerful and efficient new straight-six engines that replace the legendary Hemi V8. —

Mark Phelan, Detroit Free Press, 21 Nov. 2024 The new 27-inch display has a touchscreen infotainment system and a digital gauge cluster set-up. —

James Raia, The Mercury News, 10 Nov. 2024 The problem here is that all the driving modes are located in the vehicle settings portion of the infotainment system. —

Roberto Baldwin, WIRED, 21 Oct. 2024 The standard 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system helpfully features two knobs on the screen for tuning and volume control. —

Marco Rubio, Newsweek, 1 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for infotainment