semi-autobiographical

adjective

semi-au·​to·​bio·​graph·​i·​cal ˌse-mē-ˌȯ-tə-ˌbī-ə-ˈgra-fi-kəl 

ˌse-ˌmī-, 

-mi-

variants or less commonly semiautobiographical

: partly autobiography and partly fiction : being a fictionalized account of the author's life

a semi-autobiographical novel/film

… James Herriott's semiautobiographical story of his return from WWII to family and friends.

—TV Guide

The play is a convincing picture of a brief but powerful relationship, based on Owen's copious letters and the semi-autobiographical account of Sassoon's George Sherston.

—Simon Berry

Pedro Almodóvar's most recent drama is one of his most personal: a semi-autobiographical study of an aging, isolated filmmaker who reconnects with an estranged colleague … and starts reassessing his own life.

—Norman Wilner

In this semiautobiographical take on her own life, [Pamela] Adlon plays "Sam," a working actress and single parent in Los Angeles.

—Kit Steinkellner

also : of, relating to, or in the style of a semi-autobiographical work

a semi-autobiographical protagonist/character/role

Through semiautobiographical storytelling, Jenna Dawn Maclellan's project will address the challenges of daily life in the North …

—The Sudbury Star

The acclaimed artist … is known for the semi-autobiographical nature of his work, which riffs on his own youth in the Vancouver suburb of Port Coquitlam.

—Guy Dixon

Is this all meant to be a semi-autobiographical comment on what fame does to relationships, since [Darren] Aronofsky and [Jennifer] Lawrence are an item in real life?

—Ryan Lambie

Examples of semi-autobiographical in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The Oscar-winning auteur Sarah Polley has tapped Eilish to lead a new adaptation of Plath’s semi-autobiographical masterpiece, The Bell Jar. —Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 12 Mar. 2026

Originally published in 1963, the semi-autobiographical work charts a young woman’s descent into mental illness and the burden of societal pressures. —Justin Kroll, Deadline, 11 Mar. 2026

The semi-autobiographical book chronicles the derailing life of Esther Greenwood, a talented undergraduate student who begins an internship with a New York City magazine. —Shania Russell, Entertainment Weekly, 11 Mar. 2026

Schofield wrote the semi-autobiographical novel The Cherry Alignment inspired by her life as a 1980s actress and model and included a dedication to her late friend and The Brothers Grimm colleague Heath Ledger. —Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 3 Mar. 2026

Keem reflects on his journey with a semi-autobiographical new album, but his performances lack spark and his warring pop star and rapper sensibilities work against him. —Dylan Green, Pitchfork, 24 Feb. 2026

Upon seeing the diverse crew on Kenneth Branagh’s semi-autobiographical film, Balfe returned to the Outlander set along with Heughen to champion an inclusive transformation of their own production staff. —Savannah Walsh, Vanity Fair, 23 Feb. 2026

His struggles with addiction are well documented and the subject of his semi-autobiographical film, Honey Boy. —Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 17 Feb. 2026

Ahead of the film‘s Sundance premiere, screenwriter/star Shlesinger, director Josephine Decker, and co-stars Garrett Wareing and Tom Welling visited the IndieWire Studio, presented by Dropbox, to unpack the semi-autobiographical coming-of-middle-age story. —Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 31 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1858, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for semi-autobiographical

• autobiographical
• biogeographical
• biographical
• epigraphical
• ethnographical
• geographical
• petrographical
• stratigraphical
• topographical
• typographical
• graphical
• historiographical