biographical

adjective bio·graph·i·cal \ ˌbī-ə-ˈgra-fi-kəl \

variants: or less commonly biographic play \-fik\

Updated on: 14 Apr 2018

Definition of biographical

1 : of, relating to, or constituting biography

2 : consisting of biographies

a biographical dictionary

3 : relating to a list briefly identifying persons

biographical notes

—

biographically

play \-fi-k(ə-)lē\ adverb

See biographical defined for English-language learners

Recent Examples of biographical from the Web

Documentaries, however, are only part of the biographical bounty, with more and more subjects that once would have provided the inspiration for movies becoming the foundation for limited series running three or four times the duration.

— brian lowry, CNN, "'Elvis,' 'Andre the Giant' debut amid wave of king-sized biographies," 10 Apr. 2018
Four states – Michigan, New Mexico, Texas and Wyoming – allow additional biographical information on the ballot, but only to distinguish between two candidates who have the same or similar names.

— emily cadei, sacbee, "Why an election tradition in California is banned in other states | The Sacramento Bee," 4 Apr. 2018
The program costs $85 for five years, and applicants must provide fingerprints and biographical information, and pass a background check.

— bart jansen, USA TODAY, "TSA might ask travelers to remove food from carry-on bags, to reduce X-ray clutter," 27 Mar. 2018
To help voters decide, the candidates provided biographical information and answered two questions.

— jane ford-stewart, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Incumbent, challenger battle for Greendale village president," 14 Mar. 2018
Vega emphasizes that the story itself is not biographical.

— katy steinmetz, Time, "This Oscar-Nominated Film Asks Viewers a Question: 'What Are You Seeing in Me?'," 28 Feb. 2018
After other biographical information, Krafcik dug into his contentious relationship with Levandowski, who in 2015 was the head of the lidar team within Project Chauffeur.

— cyrus farivar, Ars Technica, "Waymo: “We’re bringing this case because Uber is cheating”," 5 Feb. 2018
Why should the Republican Party care about these instances in history, found easily on various websites and biographical tracts?

— rochelle riley, Detroit Free Press, "Riley: Clear sign the GOP has lost it? They are attacking future voters," 18 Mar. 2018
Wild Wild Country reveals little of this biographical information, though, at least in the first four episodes made available for review.

— sophie gilbert, The Atlantic, "Wild Wild Country: The Jaw-Dropping Story of the Cult Next Door," 17 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'biographical.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of biographical

1714

in the meaning defined at sense 1

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BIOGRAPHICAL Defined for English Language Learners

biographical

adjective

Definition of biographical for English Language Learners

: relating to or telling the story of a real person's life

BIOGRAPHICAL Defined for Kids

biographical

adjective bio·graph·i·cal \ ˌbī-ə-ˈgra-fi-kəl \

Definition of biographical for Students

: of or relating to an account of a real person's life

a biographical essay

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biographically

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biographical

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biographically

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