biography

[ bahy-og-ruh-fee, bee- ]

noun

, plural bi·og·ra·phies.

1. a written account of another person's life:

   the biography of Byron by Marchand.

2. an account in biographical form of an organization, society, theater, animal, etc.
3. such writings collectively.
4. the writing of biography as an occupation or field of endeavor.

biography

/ baɪˈɒɡrəfɪ; ˌbaɪəˈɡræfɪkəl /

noun

1. an account of a person's life by another
2. such accounts collectively

biography

1. The story of someone's life. The Life of Samuel Johnson , by James Boswell , and Abraham Lincoln , by Carl Sandburg , are two noted biographies. The story of the writer's own life is an autobiography .

Derived Forms

• biˈographer, noun
• biographical, adjective
• ˌbioˈgraphically, adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of biography¹

From the Greek word biographía, dating back to 1675–85. See bio-, -graphy

Example Sentences

Before launching a political crusade against military officers, Trump might also want to review the biography of his own early business lawyer and mentor Roy Cohn, who began his career as the counsel for Sen. Joseph McCarthy.

From Slate

‘Joan,’ a new play by Daniel Goldstein at South Coast Repertory about the life of comedian Joan Rivers, mixes biography with the comedian’s old stand-up material.

From Los Angeles Times

The author and contributing editor to Vanity Fair was searching for material to add to a new edition of her Babitz biography, “Hollywood’s Eve,” but wound up sniffing out an entirely new project.

From Los Angeles Times

Another letter reveals that Didion edited “Eve’s Hollywood,” something that Babitz, in her countless conversations with Anolik for her 2019 biography, had never mentioned.

From Los Angeles Times

If representation is important—Harris did not go wild on identity politics, but her biography was front and center—then working-class representation must be important.

From Slate

Related Words

• autobiography
• diary
• journal
• life
• life story
• memoir
• picture
• profile
• sketch