autobiographical
Americanadjective
adjective
-
of or concerned with one's own life
-
of or relating to an autobiography
Other Word Forms
- autobiographically adverb
- nonautobiographical adjective
- nonautobiographically adverb
Etymology
Origin of autobiographical
First recorded in 1820–30; auto- 1 + biographical
Explanation
Anything autobiographical is all about you. If you tell your new class an autobiographical story, it's a true tale of your real life. An autobiography is a person's life story, and things that have to do with that life story can be described as autobiographical. The autobiographical details in your grandmother's collection of photo albums might be your favorite parts, brief but fascinating glimpses into her life. And if you love autobiographical writing, you're a fan of memoirs. This word comes from auto-, "self," and the Greek biographia, "description of life."
Vocabulary lists containing autobiographical
Words with 15 or More Letters, List 2
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Additional Literary Terms (Unit 1)
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Florida's B.E.S.T. Roots: auto
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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.
The city was the one-time home of Augustine, whose autobiographical "Confessions" is a seminal work within the Christian tradition.
From Barron's • Apr. 14, 2026
The unnamed autobiographical narrator recalls viewing an exhibition of remarkably lifelike botanical models by the father-and-son glass artists Leopold and Rudolf Blaschka.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 31, 2026
However it's not an autobiographical account of his life so he was "able to create something more objectively dramatic".
From BBC • Mar. 29, 2026
Like his faintly autobiographical character B.J. says with a grin, “Haters gonna hate.”
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 26, 2026
Raisa Aronova, of the 46th Guards, wrote an autobiographical book called Night Witches, published in 1980; in 1981, Yevgeniya Zhigulenko, who’d become a filmmaker, produced and directed a full-length feature film about the 46th Guards.
From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein
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.
