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Synonyms

documentary

American  
[dok-yuh-men-tuh-ree, -tree] / ˌdɒk yəˈmɛn tə ri, -tri /

adjective

  1. Also documental 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

documentaries

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

documentary British  
/ ˌdɒkjʊˈmɛntərɪ, -trɪ /

adjective

  1. Also: documental.  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
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • documentarily adverb
  • nondocumental adjective
  • nondocumentary adjective
  • predocumentary adjective
  • semidocumentary adjective
  • undocumentary adjective

Etymology

Origin of documentary

First recorded in 1795–1805; document + -ary

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.

This Netflix documentary revisits the 2022 murder of a talented athlete, with director Marina Zenovich creating a sensitive portrait of the life lost and the grief of others in its wake.

From The Wall Street Journal

By authorizing the content and direction of the documentary, Jackson takes care to preserve and even somewhat redeem Joseph’s legacy, one that other documentaries, specials and fictionalized versions of Michael’s life have characterized as abusive.

From Salon

With documentaries as personal as this there’s always some element of hagiography about them.

From Salon

Putting the experience of making “Faces of Death” in perspective, Goldhaber references Jean-Luc Godard’s famous dictum that every film is a documentary of its own making.

From Los Angeles Times

Months earlier, he had reunited with one of the policemen in the video, Stoll Watt, to announce an upcoming documentary into his obscure and eccentric life.

From BBC

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.