biographical
Americanadjective
-
of or relating to a person's life.
He's gathering biographical data for his book on Milton.
-
pertaining to or containing biography.
a biographical dictionary.
Other Word Forms
-
nonbiographicaladjective
-
pseudobiographicadjective
-
pseudobiographicaladjective
-
quasi-biographicaladjective
-
semibiographicadjective
-
semibiographicaladjective
-
unbiographicaladjective
-
biographicallyadverb
-
nonbiographicallyadverb
-
pseudobiographicallyadverb
-
quasi-biographicallyadverb
-
semibiographicallyadverb
-
unbiographicallyadverb
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.
Vocabulary lists containing biographical
Words to Live By: Bio
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Literary Terms, Grade 6, Unit 1
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
List 6
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
Biographical documentaries are still hugely popular; next to true crime, they’re what’s hot in nonfiction right now, as our recently reviewed releases “June” and “Lil Nas X: Long Live Montero” indicate.
From New York Times • Jan. 26, 2024
Thomson, the author of dozens of books including “The Biographical Dictionary of Film,” binges on “Ozark” and Godard but finds “L’Avventura” a drag.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 10, 2023
Biographical information for Jones and Pearson was immediately removed from the House website, and their seats were listed as “vacant.”
From Washington Post • Apr. 6, 2023
Biographical dictionaries contain information about people who have made some mark on history in many different fields.
From Textbooks • Dec. 21, 2021
He wrote a series of "Lectures and Biographical Sketches," which he delivered with considerable eclat in different towns of Scotland and England.
From The Genius of Scotland or Sketches of Scottish Scenery, Literature and Religion by Turnbull, Robert
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.
