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

Pechman is quick to stress that the film is semi-autobiographical. — Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 9 Sep. 2026

The only novel penned by American writer and poet Plath, The Bell Jar is a semi-autobiographical work charting a young woman’s descent into mental illness and the burden of societal pressures. — Matt Grobar, Deadline, 8 Sep. 2026

Eilish will play Greenwood, the brilliant young woman at the center of Plath’s semi-autobiographical story, which follows her descent into mental illness amid the suffocating expectations placed on women in 1950s America. — Spin Staff, SPIN, 8 Sep. 2026

By Any Means is the second narrative feature from Elegance Bratton, whose 2022 debut was the semi-autobiographical The Inspection, a film about a gay Black man’s experiences enlisting in the Marines and going through boot camp. — Alison Willmore, Vulture, 4 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1858, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for semi-autobiographical

• bibliographical