autobiographical

adjective

au·​to·​bio·​graph·​i·​cal ˌȯ-tə-ˌbī-ə-ˈgra-fi-kəl How to pronounce autobiographical (audio)
-bē-
variants or less commonly autobiographic
1
a
: of, relating to, or being an autobiography
an autobiographical essay/book/novel
… the television studios began to buy the film and broadcast rights to biographical and autobiographical narratives as fast as they bought the rights to fictional ones.Nigel Hamilton
In recounting the exploits of some half-dozen Soviet spies, the author synthesizes much autobiographical and historical material.Harry Howe Ransom
This heart-wrenching, autobiographical account of Burch's childhood between ages 8 and 11 has the power of a Dickens novel.Booklist
b
: in the style of or based on an autobiography
Made for a pittance by the then-unknown [Martin] Scorsese, this autobiographical film about his Italian-Catholic boyhood was shot in Hollywood and on location in New York City's Little Italy.Robert F. Moss
2
a
: of, relating to, or influenced by one's life or past personal experiences
… so much of Wyeth's art is autobiographical, that is, stimulated and conditioned by deep personal responses to locations or people, …John Wilmerding
… ask her for too many autobiographical details and she begs off, insisting that her days are too ordinary for words.Jeff Giles
b
: of, relating, or being memory of personally experienced events in the past
Autobiographical memory, that is, memory for personally experienced past events, is central to human functioning, as it is of fundamental significance for the individual's sense of self and goal orientation.Elise Debeer et al.
autobiographically adverb
The male coming-of-age story, by contrast, has been plundered relentlessly. D. H. Lawrence, Tobias Wolff, J. D. Salinger and Ernest Hemingway have written autobiographically. Courtney Weaver
She speaks here for the first time autobiographically, having dictated this memoir in the final months of her life. Francis Mason

Examples of autobiographical in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web For urban folklorists and analysts (such as Spike Lee, Martin Scorsese, and Raoul Walsh) and for autobiographical portraitists and historians of style (such as Terence Davies and Sofia Coppola), the lives of others are naturally linked to first-person observations and modes of expression. Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 19 Mar. 2024 Yet its autobiographical elements are keenly felt, as Campillo grapples intelligently not just with the blind spots of his personal past, but those of his national heritage. Guy Lodge, Variety, 9 Mar. 2024 Like their protagonists, the writer-directors are also married, which means the underlying anxieties are presumably autobiographical, albeit exaggerated. Peter Debruge, Variety, 9 Mar. 2024 In the video for the autobiographical anthem, which premieres above, Buffett, with a little help from the renowned Preservation Hall Jazz Band, chronicles his history with the city. Melinda Newman, Billboard, 7 Mar. 2024 An autobiographical edge is likely, given that Johnson, born in Boston in 1888, was orphaned at 15. Christopher Knight, Los Angeles Times, 1 Mar. 2024 This assessment dovetails with a common criticism of autobiographical fiction, which holds that such work is inherently solipsistic. Tope Folarin, The Atlantic, 29 Feb. 2024 Sandra Milo Sandra Milo, the Italian actress best known for appearing in Federico Fellini's autobiographical classic 8 ½, died Jan. 29 at 90. Ew Staff, EW.com, 23 Feb. 2024 Her work also carried autobiographical underpinnings. Brian Murphy, Washington Post, 21 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'autobiographical.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

autobiography + -ical, after biographical

First Known Use

1807, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of autobiographical was in 1807

Dictionary Entries Near autobiographical

Cite this Entry

“Autobiographical.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/autobiographical. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

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