Dictionary

citation needed en · X

Pronunciation

• /ˌsaɪˈteɪ.ʃn̩ ˈniː.dɪd/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• /-dəd/ (General-American)
• /ˌsaɪˈteɪ.ʃən ˈni.dɪd/ (General-American)
• (Southern-England) audio

Etymology

From a tag, first created in June 2005, used on the English Wikipedia website to mark statements in articles that require verification.

Meanings

1. (humorous) Used to designate an assertion or other statement as false, inaccurate, or requiring verification.
   • I have learned recently, where I can't remember, that books made of scrolls of papyrus were cut into pages and enclosed in wooden covers. Books like this were in circulation at the time. For now, just like Wikipedia, we will mark this: "citation needed." 2013, Phil[lip D.] Johnson, “My Favorite Event as Told by Mark”, in Funny Stuff in the Bible: A Field Trip in the Bible Library, Eugene, Or.: Resource Publications, Wipf and Stock, →ISBN, page 91:
   • [...] [Nick] Kroll cited The Bible (citation needed) as dictating, "Thou shalt have a Goldberg [i.e., Evan Goldberg] that one grows up with, and then writes TV and movies with." Don’t question it. 2020 December 1, Dennis Perkins, “Nick Kroll Got Some Helpful Direction from Harry Styles on Popping the Question”, in The A.V. Club, archived from the original on 01 Dec 2020:
   • I pass the Museo del Bargello, a former army barracks and prison, it is now home to masterpieces by Michelangelo, Donatello, Vincenzo Gemito and Robert Mapplethorpe [citation needed]. 2013, Dan T. Alighieri [pseudonym], “Prologue”, in Dan’s Inferno: A Parody, London: Michael O’Mara Books, →ISBN, page 7:
   • Do you struggle to keep up with all the great podcasts and video content The Spinoff puts out every week? Luckily, we have a solution – introducing Rec Room, The Spinoff’s latest and some are saying greatest [citation needed] newsletter. 2020 August 17, “Subscribe to Rec Room, Our Newsletter for Video, Podcasts and Other Favourite Stuff”, in The Spinoff, archived from the original on 29 Sep 2020:
   • Euclid’s solution was simply to take parallel lines for granted and add them in as a fifth postulate. [...] In The Elements, the first four postulates are stated in simple and obvious statements, together amounting to only thirty-four words. The fifth postulate alone requires thirty-five words. This was the ancient Greek equivalent of ‘citation needed’. 2014, Matt Parker, “Shapes: Now in 3D”, in Things to Make and Do in the Fourth Dimension: A Mathematician’s Journey through Narcissistic Numbers, Optimal Dating Algorithms, at Least Two Kinds of Infinity, and More, 1st American edition, New York, N.Y.: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, →ISBN, page 92:
   • > Democrats want a centralized autocratic government / [citation needed] Meanwhile, Trump's autocratic tendencies have become legendary after his one and only term. / > Democrats want a dictatorial leader (as evidenced by their refusal to hold their leader(s) to any Constitutional or legal standards) / [citation needed] Meanwhile, Banana Republicans just spent four years displaying clear anti-democratic tendencies and support for a rogue executive who regularly flouted laws, norms, and Congressional oversight. 2020 November 7, Nadegda, “How to defeat a coup attempt”, in talk.politics.misc (Usenet):
   • You know, every time I hear their stories [of near-death experiences] I just want to say "citation needed", because all the stuff they're saying, the only people who believe it happen to be the ones in their circles. 2013 December 4, Hemant Mehta, “Atheists, there is PROOF of Heaven!”, in YouTube, retrieved 06 Feb 2017:
2. Used ironically to designate an obvious fact that needs no support.
   • The sun is really bright,[citation needed] and its light illuminates the earth.[citation needed] 2014, Randall Munroe, What If?:

Forms

Translations (47)

pl potrzebne źródło (used to designate an assertion or other statement as false, inaccurate, or requiring verification) · af verwysing benodig (used to designate an assertion or other statement as false, inaccurate, or requiring verification) · gl cómpre referencia (used to designate an assertion or other statement as false, inaccurate, or requiring verification) · ka საჭიროებს წყაროს მითითებას (used to designate an assertion or other statement as false, inaccurate, or requiring verification) · sk chýba zdroj (used to designate an assertion or other statement as false, inaccurate, or requiring verification) · ja 要出典 (used to designate an assertion or other statement as false, inaccurate, or requiring verification) · hu forráskérő (used to designate an assertion or other statement as false, inaccurate, or requiring verification) · eo citaĵo bezonata (used to designate an assertion or other statement as false, inaccurate, or requiring verification) · ro necesită citare (used to designate an assertion or other statement as false, inaccurate, or requiring verification) · fr refnec (used to designate an assertion or other statement as false, inaccurate, or requiring verification) · be няма крыніцы (used to designate an assertion or other statement as false, inaccurate, or requiring verification) · es cita requerida (used to designate an assertion or other statement as false, inaccurate, or requiring verification) · nn treng kjelde (used to designate an assertion or other statement as false, inaccurate, or requiring verification) · nb trenger referanse (used to designate an assertion or other statement as false, inaccurate, or requiring verification) · fi lähde? (used to designate an assertion or other statement as false, inaccurate, or requiring verification) · da kilde mangler (used to designate an assertion or other statement as false, inaccurate, or requiring verification) · sh тражи се извор (used to designate an assertion or other statement as false, inaccurate, or requiring verification) · ko 출처 필요 (used to designate an assertion or other statement as false, inaccurate, or requiring verification) · is heimild vantar (used to designate an assertion or other statement as false, inaccurate, or requiring verification) · ca cal citació (used to designate an assertion or other statement as false, inaccurate, or requiring verification) · pa ਹਵਾਲਾ ਲੋੜੀਂਦਾ (used to designate an assertion or other statement as false, inaccurate, or requiring verification) · el εκκρεμεί παραπομπή (used to designate an assertion or other statement as false, inaccurate, or requiring verification) · ca citació necessària (used to designate an assertion or other statement as false, inaccurate, or requiring verification) · sv källa behövs (used to designate an assertion or other statement as false, inaccurate, or requiring verification) · sc esigit tzitassione (used to designate an assertion or other statement as false, inaccurate, or requiring verification) · vi cần dẫn nguồn (used to designate an assertion or other statement as false, inaccurate, or requiring verification) · fr référence nécessaire (used to designate an assertion or other statement as false, inaccurate, or requiring verification) · dsb trěbne žrědło (used to designate an assertion or other statement as false, inaccurate, or requiring verification) · lv nepieciešama atsauce (used to designate an assertion or other statement as false, inaccurate, or requiring verification) · de Belege fehlen (used to designate an assertion or other statement as false, inaccurate, or requiring verification) · ar بِحَاجَةٍ لِمَصْدَرٍ (used to designate an assertion or other statement as false, inaccurate, or requiring verification) · he דרוש מקור (used to designate an assertion or other statement as false, inaccurate, or requiring verification) · id butuh rujukan (used to designate an assertion or other statement as false, inaccurate, or requiring verification) · eo mankas fonto (used to designate an assertion or other statement as false, inaccurate, or requiring verification) · th ต้องการอ้างอิง (used to designate an assertion or other statement as false, inaccurate, or requiring verification) · cy angen ffynhonnell (used to designate an assertion or other statement as false, inaccurate, or requiring verification) · sk bez citácie (used to designate an assertion or other statement as false, inaccurate, or requiring verification) · hsb trěbne žórło (used to designate an assertion or other statement as false, inaccurate, or requiring verification) · bg без източници (used to designate an assertion or other statement as false, inaccurate, or requiring verification) · sh nedostaje izvor (used to designate an assertion or other statement as false, inaccurate, or requiring verification) · cmn 來源請求 /来源请求 (used to designate an assertion or other statement as false, inaccurate, or requiring verification) · sk chýba citácia (used to designate an assertion or other statement as false, inaccurate, or requiring verification) · pt carece de fontes (used to designate an assertion or other statement as false, inaccurate, or requiring verification) · ru нет исто́чника (used to designate an assertion or other statement as false, inaccurate, or requiring verification) · sh traži se izvor (used to designate an assertion or other statement as false, inaccurate, or requiring verification) · lt reikalingas šaltinis (used to designate an assertion or other statement as false, inaccurate, or requiring verification) · it citazione necessaria (used to designate an assertion or other statement as false, inaccurate, or requiring verification)