documentary

[ dok-yuh-men-tuh-ree, -tree ]

adjective

1. Also doc·u·men·tal [] pertaining to, consisting of, or derived from documents:

   a documentary history of France.

2. Movies, Television. based on or re-creating an actual event, era, life story, etc., that purports to be factually accurate and contains no fictional elements:

   a documentary life of Gandhi.

noun

, plural doc·u·men·ta·ries.

1. Movies, Television. a documentary film, radio or television program, etc.

documentary

/ ˌdɒkjʊˈmɛntərɪ; -trɪ /

adjective

1. Alsodocumental consisting of, derived from, or relating to documents
2. presenting factual material with little or no fictional additions

   the book gives a documentary account of the war

noun

1. a factual film or television programme about an event, person, etc, presenting the facts with little or no fiction

Derived Forms

• ˌdocuˈmentarily, adverb

Other Words From

• docu·men·tari·ly adverb
• nondoc·u·mental adjective
• nondoc·u·menta·ry adjective noun plural nondocumentaries
• predoc·u·menta·ry adjective
• semi·docu·menta·ry adjective noun plural semidocumentaries
• undoc·u·menta·ry adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of documentary¹

First recorded in 1795–1805; document + -ary

Example Sentences

Before the screening, Rachel Mason, a close friend of Hutchins who filmed a documentary about the making of Rust, recalled how difficult it was to complete the movie with all the controversy surrounding it.

From BBC

There has been a torrent of allegations against the late billionaire businessman since a BBC documentary in September broadcast the claims of 20 women.

From BBC

Ross’ 2018 Oscar-nominated documentary, “Hale County This Morning, This Evening,” depicted the lives of Black people in a disenfranchised Alabama community with powerful, poetic imagery that demanded your full attention.

From Los Angeles Times

When Johnson rose from relative obscurity to the Speaker position, one of the few pieces of information that journalists dug up was that he had been in a documentary about "purity balls" in 2015.

From Salon

“That was a little bit of sloppy fact-checking on the part of my team on the documentary,” Stewart said.

From Salon

Related Words

• broadcast
• feature
• film
• narrative