semi-autobiographical

adjective

semi-au·​to·​bio·​graph·​i·​cal ˌse-mē-ˌȯ-tə-ˌbī-ə-ˈgra-fi-kəl How to pronounce semi-autobiographical (audio)
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 Derek Hough, Fat Joe, and Lopez’s real-life husband, Ben Affleck, also appear in the semi-autobiographical musical film. Julia Moore, Peoplemag, 7 Mar. 2024 The next chapter of Schumer’s semi-autobiographical Hulu series follows the romantic relationship between Beth (Schumer) and John (Michael Cera). Monica Mercuri, Forbes, 22 Feb. 2024 The follow-up season to her semi-autobiographical Hulu dramedy, which launched all 10 episodes on Thursday, centers on the romantic relationship between Beth (Schumer) and John (played by Michael Cera), who — as the trailer revealed — get married early on in the new season. Jackie Strause, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 Feb. 2024 Spielberg also received a Best Original Screenplay nom for his semi-autobiographical drama The Fabelmansalongside co-writer Tony Kushner. Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 14 Feb. 2024 Another obvious direction for a wildly popular young comedian would be a semi-autobiographical sitcom — but Tomlinson already tried that. Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 13 Feb. 2024 Writer-director Laura Chinn tells the semi-autobiographical story about her dying brother and understandably crazed mother, with no-dry-eyes left performances by Nico Parker and Laura Linney, plus an assist from Woody Harrelson for good measure. Brian Lowry, CNN, 9 Feb. 2024 And now, with strong reviews coming in for Suncoast—writer/director Laura Chinn’s semi-autobiographical coming-of-age dramedy about Doris (Parker), a teen who cares for her brother along with her tough-as-nails mother (Linney)—there’s no telling what the future holds. Jessica Radloff, Glamour, 8 Feb. 2024 The semi-autobiographical film was written, produced and directed by Sean Wang in his feature debut. Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 31 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'semi-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

First Known Use

1858, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of semi-autobiographical was in 1858

Dictionary Entries Near semi-autobiographical

Cite this Entry

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

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