biographical

American  

[bahy-uh-graf-i-kuhl] / ˌbaɪ əˈgræf ɪ kəl /

Also biographic

adjective

1. of or relating to a person's life.

   He's gathering biographical data for his book on Milton.

2. pertaining to or containing biography.

   a biographical dictionary.

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Other Word Forms

• nonbiographical
  adjective
• pseudobiographic
  adjective
• pseudobiographical
  adjective
• quasi-biographical
  adjective
• semibiographic
  adjective
• semibiographical
  adjective
• unbiographical
  adjective
• biographically
  adverb
• nonbiographically
  adverb
• pseudobiographically
  adverb
• quasi-biographically
  adverb
• semibiographically
  adverb
• unbiographically
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of biographical

First recorded in 1730–40; biograph(y) + -ical

Explanation

Anything biographical has to do with the story of someone's life. If you're reading a biography of Margaret Mead, you might enjoy learning biographical details, like that she was the oldest of five children. A biography is a book about someone's life. Anything biographical can be from a biography, as in an actual book about someone, or just facts from a person’s life. Biographical information could be where someone is from, where they grew up, where they went to college, or when they became famous. Biographies are usually written about famous people, but everyone has biographical details about their own lives, too.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

biographical

The case's notoriety still follows Knox; since Kercher's death, Knox has written two books about her imprisonment and served as an executive producer on the biographical drama The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox.

From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026

Deep observers of his catalog also view it as his most biographical feature, citing how closely Satsuki and Mei’s bucolic retreat resembles a chapter in the filmmaker’s childhood when his own mother was gravely ill.

From Salon ● Jul. 15, 2026

They capitalize on nostalgia and the ubiquity of streaming playlists that compile older songs, and increase the catalogs’ value with biographical films and ad placements.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 30, 2026

Mr. Bentley, one of the great theater critics and scholars of the 20th century, provides context for the testimony, and biographical information about the lesser-known names.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 18, 2026

They filled his biographical vacuum with suitably large Wild West myths: knocked-over banks, rodeo stardom, daring exploits in the Indian wars.

From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand