biography
Americannoun
plural
biographies-
a written account of another person's life.
the biography of Byron by Marchand.
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an account in biographical form of an organization, society, theater, animal, etc.
-
such writings collectively.
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the writing of biography as an occupation or field of endeavor.
noun
-
an account of a person's life by another
-
such accounts collectively
Other Word Forms
- biographer noun
- biographical adjective
- biographically adverb
Etymology
Origin of biography
From the Greek word biographía, dating back to 1675–85. See bio-, -graphy
Explanation
A biography is an account of somebody's life written by somebody else, complete with details of the most important parts. These days, anyone, of any age, can be the subject of a biography: Justin Bieber, at the tender age of 17, had one written about his life. A biography is not to be confused with an autobiography, an account of someone's life written by the subject himself. You'll find biographies in printed form (remember books?), but also increasingly in the form of e-books, TV dramatizations, and cinematic "bio-docs."
Vocabulary lists containing biography
Words to Live By: Bio
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Write On!: Graph and Gram
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TEKS ELAR Academic Vocabulary List (5th-7th grades)
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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.
Robert P. Bremner’s informative, sympathetic biography traces the rise and fall of Martin’s reputation in the context of the inflationary currents of the age.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 21, 2026
Buckingham Palace has also announced that award-winning historian Dr Anna Keay will write the the late monarch's official authorised biography.
From BBC • Apr. 18, 2026
I have read before sleep no fewer than four scientific or science-adjacent books by James Gleick: “Chaos,” “The Information,” “Time Travel” and his biography of Richard Feynman, “Genius.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 17, 2026
Interviewees joke about how inscrutable he is, guess at aspects of his biography, and early on we hear Michaels’ belief that explaining humor is pointless.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 17, 2026
Over the summer I read a biography of the anarchist Emma Goldman.
From "Bad Boy" by Walter Dean Myers
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.
