citation needed

Syllables: ci·tat·ion need·ed/ˌsaɪˈteɪ.ʃn̩ ˈniː.dɪd/US/ˌsaɪˈteɪ.ʃən ˈni.dɪd/

citation needed phrase: used to designate an assertion or other statement as false, inaccurate, or requiring verification.

Phrase

citation needed

(humorous) Used to designate an assertion or other statement as false, inaccurate, or requiring verification.
- 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
- 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
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?

used to designate an assertion or other statement as false, inaccurate, or requiring verification: ਹਵਾਲਾ ਲੋੜੀਂਦਾ havālā loṛīndā

used to designate an assertion or other statement as false, inaccurate, or requiring verification: بِحَاجَةٍ لِمَصْدَرٍ biḥājatin limaṣdarin

used to designate an assertion or other statement as false, inaccurate, or requiring verification: butuh rujukan

used to designate an assertion or other statement as false, inaccurate, or requiring verification: ต้องการอ้างอิง dtông gaan âang ing

More languagesFewer languages

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...
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...
[...] [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...

alternative form	[citation needed]

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

What does citation needed mean?: Citation needed means used to designate an assertion or other statement as false, inaccurate, or requiring verification.
What is citation needed in Punjabi?: Citation needed in Punjabi is ਹਵਾਲਾ ਲੋੜੀਂਦਾ (havālā loṛīndā). See Citation needed meaning in Punjabi.
How do you use citation needed in a sentence?: This was the ancient Greek equivalent of ‘citation needed’.
What part of speech is citation needed?: Citation needed is a phrase.
How do you pronounce citation needed?: Citation needed is pronounced /ˌsaɪˈteɪ.ʃn̩ ˈniː.dɪd/ (UK).

Adapted from Wiktionary: citation needed (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated: 2026-09-02

Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-citation needed.wav.

Cite this entry: “citation needed.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/citation_needed. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.