docudrama
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of docudrama
First recorded in 1960–65; docu(mentary) + drama
Explanation
A fictional movie or TV show that's closely based on a true story can be called a docudrama. All The President's Men is a docudrama about the Watergate scandal. The term docudrama was first used in American English during the 1950s, from documentary and drama. It's most often used for television programs that strive for some accuracy in representing historical events, sometimes reenacting situations using real details and dialogue. Docudramas inevitably also fill in unknown details and ramp up the dramatic interest of the story using creative license.
Vocabulary lists containing docudrama
doc
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The Dramatic Vision: An Overview, Part 2
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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.
"Sentimental Value" will compete in the foreign language film category against Brazilian crime thriller "The Secret Agent", Cannes' top Palme d'Or winner "It Was Just An Accident" and Palestinian docudrama "The Voice of Hind Rajab".
From Barron's ● Feb. 22, 2026
"It haunted me," Ben Hania tells BBC News about the voice recording, which is the centrepiece of her Oscar-shortlisted docudrama, released in UK cinemas last Friday.
From BBC ● Jan. 20, 2026
Fox News in 2018 launched Fox Nation, which intended to complement the network’s offerings with programming such as “The Saints,” a docudrama narrated by Martin Scorsese.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 16, 2026
The moment of reckoning was a long time in the making, but it was turbocharged by a four-part television docudrama that aired earlier this year.
From Seattle Times ● May 22, 2024
The docudrama is created by Matti Leshem, written by Scorsese collaborator Kent Jones and directed by Elizabeth Chomko.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 27, 2024
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.
