documentary

1 of 2

adjective

doc·​u·​men·​ta·​ry ˌdä-kyə-ˈmen-tə-rē 

-ˈmen-trē,

-kyü-

1

: being or consisting of documents : contained or certified in writing

documentary evidence

2

: of, relating to, or employing documentation (see documentation sense 2) in literature or art

broadly : factual, objective

a documentary film of the war

documentarily

ˌdä-kyə-mən-ˈter-ə-lē 

-ˌmen-

-kyü-

adverb

documentary

2 of 2

noun

plural documentaries

: a presentation (such as a film or novel) expressing or dealing with factual events : a documentary presentation

Synonyms

Adjective

• historical
• factual
• nonfictional
• literal
• true

Examples of documentary in a Sentence

Adjective

You must present documentary proof of your residence.

a documentary film about the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor

Noun

We watched a documentary on the early history of jazz.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

In the documentary field, the BIFF Mecenat Award, which recognizes outstanding Asian non-fiction features, went to Raining Dust by Korea’s Ju Romi and Kim Taeil, and Singing Wings by Kurdish-Iranian filmmaker Hemen Khaledi. —Patrick Brzeski, HollywoodReporter, 26 Sep. 2025

The premise is that the documentary crew that filmed Michael, Pam, Jim, Dwight, and all the rest for years has now set the sights and cameras on the staff of the historic and struggling newspaper The Truth Teller in Toledo, Ohio. —Raechal Shewfelt, Entertainment Weekly, 26 Sep. 2025

Noun

Dan Schrack, an actor who posed as a decoy would-be victim of pedophilia as a young-looking adult working on the show, shares his memory of a sting operation subject's suicide in the new documentary Predators, which charts the history and influence of the Dateline NBC segment. —Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 27 Sep. 2025

The documentaries will also premiere at the Miami Film Festival, April 9–19, 2026. —Sarah Moreno, Miami Herald, 27 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

see document entry 1

Noun

see document entry 1

First Known Use

Adjective

1802, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1935, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for documentary

• alimentary
• complimentary
• parliamentary
• rudimentary
• sedimentary
• supplementary
• testamentary
• integumentary
• uncomplimentary
• unparliamentary
• interparliamentary
• metasedimentary

Kids Definition

documentary

1 of 2 adjective

doc·​u·​men·​ta·​ry ˌdäk-yə-ˈment-ə-rē 

-ˈmen-trē

1

: consisting of documents

also : being in writing

documentary proof

2

: presenting actual events or facts about something

a documentary film

documentarily

-mən-ˈter-ə-lē 

-ˌmen-

adverb

documentary

2 of 2 noun

plural documentaries

: a documentary presentation (as a film or novel)

Legal Definition

documentary

adjective

doc·​u·​men·​ta·​ry ˌdä-kyə-ˈmen-tə-rē 

: being, consisting of, or contained in documents

documentary evidence