biopic
Americannoun
-
biopics
plural
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of biopic
1950–55; bio(graphy) + (motion) pic(ture)
Explanation
A biopic is a fictional film that's based on a true story of a famous person. If you develop a cure for cancer or get elected president, someone may make a biopic about you one day! Biopic is a shorthand term for biographical (moving) picture that's been around since the 1950s. Some of these films stick very closely to the biography of their subject, in an attempt to tell a true story of a real person. Others take great liberties with the biographical details in order to make a more interesting plot. Either way, if you like movies about historical figures, movie stars, and sports legends, you should check out some biopics!
Vocabulary lists containing biopic
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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.
See Examples For:
If you’re in the mood for a coming-of-age drama, the Anthony Bourdain biopic Tony is “is a perfect little movie,” according to Dana Stevens.
From Slate ● Sep. 4, 2026
Anthony Bourdain’s beach-bum youth becomes a refreshing biopic, Ridley Scott directs a post-apocalyptic adventure, documentaries examine Boeing’s failures and Iceland’s glaciers, and much, much more.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 31, 2026
Singer and businesswoman Dolly Parton, who died earlier this week, had a slew of projects in the pipeline including a biopic, documentary, avatar show, museum, travel stop for truckers, coffee brand and dog treats.
From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026
The projects vary from a line of Dolly Parton dolls, which will launch online Sept. 15, to a biopic and a docuseries with release dates to be revealed later.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2026
As luck would have it, though, the only English-language film being shown in Belgrade was Lust for Life, the lush biopic of the mad nineteenth-century Dutch painter Vincent Van Gogh.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
Belonging to a genre that tends toward the reductive, biopics can often be sorted into two categories.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026
Today’s musician biopics are almost always overly sanitized stories approved by the artist or their estate.
From Salon ● Jul. 8, 2026
On its release in April, Michael took $217m globally in its first week, overtaking previous music biopics including 2015's NWA film Straight Outta Compton and 2018's Queen film Bohemian Rhapsody.
From BBC ● Jun. 29, 2026
Lionsgate’s “Michael” is on track to unseat “Straight Outta Compton” as the king of musical biopics.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 24, 2026
During interviews about “A Complete Unknown,” Mangold defended biopics against charges of formularism.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 30, 2025
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
