autobiographical
Americanadjective
adjective
-
of or concerned with one's own life
-
of or relating to an autobiography
Other Word Forms
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.
He published a number of autobiographical books, as well as biographies of John Wesley and William and Catherine Booth, the founders of the Salvation Army.
From BBC • Jun. 14, 2026
It was as if he were left reeling from cynicism and was trying to reclaim some youthful confidence that he would eventually rediscover with the autobiographical “The Fabelmans.”
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 11, 2026
"Propeller One-Way Night Coach" is a one-hour self-financed autobiographical tale about Travolta's flight as an eight-year-old with his actress mother from New York to Los Angeles in 1962.
From Barron's • May 15, 2026
According to Elizabeth Margulis’s fascinating “Transported,” these dreams are wilder, more autobiographical and more communal than ordinary moments of mind-wandering.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 15, 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.
