docudrama

American  

[dok-yuh-drah-muh, -dram-uh] / ˈdɒk yəˌdrɑ mə, -ˌdræm ə /

noun

Television.

1. a fictionalized drama based primarily on actual events.

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docudrama British  

/ ˈdɒkjʊˌdrɑːmə /

noun

1. a film or television programme based on true events, presented in a dramatized form

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Other Word Forms

• docudramatist noun

Etymology

Origin of docudrama

First recorded in 1960–65; docu(mentary) + drama

Explanation

A fictional movie or TV show that's closely based on a true story can be called a docudrama. All The President's Men is a docudrama about the Watergate scandal. The term docudrama was first used in American English during the 1950s, from documentary and drama. It's most often used for television programs that strive for some accuracy in representing historical events, sometimes reenacting situations using real details and dialogue. Docudramas inevitably also fill in unknown details and ramp up the dramatic interest of the story using creative license.

Example Sentences

"Sentimental Value" will compete in the foreign language film category against Brazilian crime thriller "The Secret Agent", Cannes' top Palme d'Or winner "It Was Just An Accident" and Palestinian docudrama "The Voice of Hind Rajab".

From Barron's • Feb. 22, 2026

Fox News in 2018 launched Fox Nation, which intended to complement the network’s offerings with programming such as “The Saints,” a docudrama narrated by Martin Scorsese.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 16, 2026

Jessi adds the docudrama shows how "we are all normal and everyday girls, not people wearing bonnets and churning butter like you might think".

From BBC • Jun. 1, 2025

The moment of reckoning was a long time in the making, but it was turbocharged by a four-part television docudrama that aired earlier this year.

From Seattle Times • May 22, 2024

Rob Lowe fronted a docudrama series on the Boston Tea Party.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 27, 2024

Related Words

• broadcast
• feature
• film
• narrative