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

Part hopeful family drama, part epic survival tale, and part origin story of the American West, this fresh adaptation of Laura Ingalls Wilder’s iconic semi-autobiographical Little House books offers a kaleidoscopic view of the struggles and triumphs of those who shaped the frontier. —Matthew Carey, Deadline, 15 May 2026

Part hopeful family drama, part epic survival tale, and part origin story of the American West, this fresh adaptation of Laura Ingalls Wilder’s iconic semi-autobiographical Little House books offers a kaleidoscopic view of the struggles and triumphs of those who shaped the frontier. —Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 14 May 2026

The jukebox musical is built from Keys’ catalogue of R&B and soul hits, a semi-autobiographical story that treks through her Manhattan upbringing. —David John Chávez, Mercury News, 4 May 2026

At the time, Nick and Rob were promoting their semi-autobiographical film, Being Charlie, which Nick co-wrote based on his struggles with addiction. —Caroline Blair, PEOPLE, 24 Apr. 2026

Blue Heron is one of several semi-autobiographical films that reckons with a filmmaker’s troubled upbringing in relation to their early years as an artist. —Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 23 Apr. 2026

His semi-autobiographical breakthrough series, Netflix’s Baby Reindeer, concerns a comedian who is stalked by a mentally ill woman but can’t bring himself to seek help. —Judy Berman, Time, 21 Apr. 2026

The Canadian filmmaker Sophy Romvari does something similar with the new movie Blue Heron, a semi-autobiographical piece whose structure loops in on itself, melding fact and fiction into a doleful portrait of a family tragedy. —Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 16 Apr. 2026

His script for the semi-autobiographical Belfast finally won him a little gold man, after seven nominations going back to his first, for Henry V in 1989. —Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 16 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1858, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for semi-autobiographical

• bibliographical