documentary

¹doc·u·men·ta·ry

adjective \-ˈmen-tə-rē, -ˈmen-trē\

Definition of DOCUMENTARY

1

: being or consisting of documents : contained or certified in writing <documentary evidence>

2

: of, relating to, or employing documentation in literature or art; broadly : factual, objective <a documentary film of the war>

— doc·u·men·tar·i·ly \-mən-ˈter-ə-lē, -ˌmen-\ adverb

Examples of DOCUMENTARY

1. You must present documentary proof of your residence.
2. <a documentary film about the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor>

First Known Use of DOCUMENTARY

1802

Related to DOCUMENTARY

Synonyms

factual, hard, historical, literal, matter-of-fact, nonfictional, objective, true

Antonyms

fictional, fictionalized, fictitious, nondocumentary, nonfactual, nonhistorical, unhistorical

Related Words

actual, authentic, bona fide, genuine, real, right; documented, established; confirmable, reliable, supportable, sustainable, verifiable; demonstrable, provable; incontestable, incontrovertible, indisputable, irrefutable, undeniable, unquestionable; plain, simple; certain, undoubted

Near Antonyms

hypothetical, speculative, theoretical (also theoretic); apocryphal, unauthentic, undocumented; chimerical (also chimeric), fabulous, fanciful, fantastic (also fantastical), imaginary, imagined, invented, legendary, made-up, make-believe, mythical (or mythic), pretend; embroidered, exaggerated; insupportable, unsupportable

Other Literature Terms

apophasis, bathos, bildungsroman, bowdlerize, caesura, coda, doggerel, euphemism, poesy, prosody

Rhymes with DOCUMENTARY

complementary, double entry, elementary, mockumentary, rudimentary, sedimentary, single entry, supplementary, testamentary

²documentary

noun

plural documentaries

Definition of DOCUMENTARY

: a documentary presentation (as a film or novel)

Examples of DOCUMENTARY

1. We watched a documentary on the early history of jazz.

First Known Use of DOCUMENTARY

1935

Other Performing Arts Terms

diva, dramaturgy, loge, prestidigitation, proscenium, supernumerary, zany

documentary

noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

Fact-based film that depicts actual events and persons. Documentaries can deal with scientific or educational topics, can be a form of journalism or social commentary, or can be a conduit for propaganda or personal expression. The term was first coined by Scottish-born filmmaker John Grierson to describe fact-based features such as Robert Flaherty's Nanook of the North (1922). Grierson's Drifters (1929) and Pare Lorentz's The Plow That Broke the Plains (1936) influenced documentary filmmaking in the 1930s. During the World War II era documentary filmmaking was a valuable propaganda tool used by all sides. Leni Riefenstahl contributed to the Nazi propaganda efforts in the 1930s; the U.S. made films such as Frank Capra's series Why We Fight (1942–45); and Britain released London Can Take It (1940). Cinéma vérité documentaries, which gained notoriety in the 1960s, emphasized a more informal and intimate relationship between camera and subject. Television became an important medium for documentary films with goals that were more journalistic (such as CBS's Harvest of Shame [1960]) and educational (such as Ken Burns's Civil War [1990]).