biographical

American  

[bahy-uh-graf-i-kuhl] / ˌbaɪ əˈgræf ɪ kəl /

Also biographic

adjective

1. of or relating to a person's life.

   He's gathering biographical data for his book on Milton.

2. pertaining to or containing biography.

   a biographical dictionary.

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Other Word Forms

• biographically adverb
• nonbiographical adjective
• nonbiographically adverb
• pseudobiographic adjective
• pseudobiographical adjective
• pseudobiographically adverb
• quasi-biographical adjective
• quasi-biographically adverb
• semibiographic adjective
• semibiographical adjective
• semibiographically adverb
• unbiographical adjective
• unbiographically adverb

Etymology

Origin of biographical

First recorded in 1730–40; biograph(y) + -ical

Explanation

Anything biographical has to do with the story of someone's life. If you're reading a biography of Margaret Mead, you might enjoy learning biographical details, like that she was the oldest of five children. A biography is a book about someone's life. Anything biographical can be from a biography, as in an actual book about someone, or just facts from a person’s life. Biographical information could be where someone is from, where they grew up, where they went to college, or when they became famous. Biographies are usually written about famous people, but everyone has biographical details about their own lives, too.

Example Sentences

The defence's medical experts argue he cannot and is unable to name his charges and has "significant gaps in his biographical narrative", such as the dates of his education.

From BBC • Mar. 28, 2026

Posters, billboards and biographical videos of the hidden leader reinforce the message of continuity between father and son.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 21, 2026

Another contender, former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, overlaps with Villaraigosa when it comes to biographical details: Both are from the L.A. area, Latino and relatively close in age.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 16, 2026

Wildly different genres will compete for that award, which pits "Hamnet" against commercial success "Bridget Jones, Mad About the Boy" and biographical film "I Swear".

From Barron's • Feb. 22, 2026

Henrietta Darwin Litchfield edited her mothers personal letters and published them in 1904 with many biographical notes.

From "Charles and Emma: The Darwins' Leap of Faith" by Deborah Heiligman