biography
Americannoun
plural
biographies-
a written account of another person's life.
the biography of Byron by Marchand.
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an account in biographical form of an organization, society, theater, animal, etc.
-
such writings collectively.
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the writing of biography as an occupation or field of endeavor.
noun
-
an account of a person's life by another
-
such accounts collectively
Other Word Forms
- biographer noun
- biographical adjective
- biographically adverb
Etymology
Origin of biography
From the Greek word biographía, dating back to 1675–85. See bio-, -graphy
Explanation
A biography is an account of somebody's life written by somebody else, complete with details of the most important parts. These days, anyone, of any age, can be the subject of a biography: Justin Bieber, at the tender age of 17, had one written about his life. A biography is not to be confused with an autobiography, an account of someone's life written by the subject himself. You'll find biographies in printed form (remember books?), but also increasingly in the form of e-books, TV dramatizations, and cinematic "bio-docs."
Vocabulary lists containing biography
Words to Live By: Bio
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Write On!: Graph and Gram
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TEKS ELAR Academic Vocabulary List (5th-7th grades)
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Sara Wheeler’s “Jan Morris” is a compassionate and comprehensive biography of the Tiresias of travel writers.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 23, 2026
At one point, he said he didn’t recall details of his biography posted on the attorney general’s website.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 20, 2026
Buckingham Palace has also announced that award-winning historian Dr Anna Keay will write the the late monarch's official authorised biography.
From BBC • Apr. 18, 2026
The star has been teasing the plan since 2023, and on Monday she cleared her Instagram and changed her biography to one of Hung Up's lyrics: "Time goes by so slowly."
From BBC • Apr. 15, 2026
The biography kicks in, a welcome gift from the not-me part of the mind.
From "Every Day" by David Levithan
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
