semiautobiographical

American  

[sem-ee-aw-tuh-bahy-uh-graf-i-kuhl, sem-ahy-] / ˌsɛm iˌɔ təˌbaɪ əˈgræf ɪ kəl, ˌsɛm aɪ- /

adjective

1. pertaining to or being a fictionalized account of an author's own life.

2. pertaining to or being a work of fiction strongly influenced by events in an author's life.

---

Etymology

Origin of semiautobiographical

First recorded in 1935–40; semi- + autobiographical

Example Sentences

The books center on semiautobiographical poets and often smuggle in examples of their—that is, Mr. Lerner’s—work.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 31, 2026

In Archer City: “The Last Picture Show,” based on Larry McMurtry’s semiautobiographical book, was filmed in the author’s hometown.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 16, 2026

Small: Jenkins’ 2016 best picture-winning “Moonlight,” based on a semiautobiographical play by Tarell Alvin McCraney, cost $1.5 million and grossed $65 million in worldwide box office.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 23, 2024

In 2009, he published “The Wish Maker,” a semiautobiographical coming-of-age novel set in his home city.

From New York Times • May 10, 2024

Now Santos, 37, is co-starring as Ryan, one of five uncles to Rafa Gonzales, the teenage protagonist in “Primo,” a semiautobiographical comedy created by Shea Serrano about a sprawling Mexican-American family living in San Antonio.

From Los Angeles Times • May 21, 2023