plural documentaries
: a movie or television program that tells the facts about actual people and events
We watched a documentary on the early history of jazz.
—often used before another nouna documentary filmmaker
She has produced several award-winning documentary films.
always used before a noun
: consisting of documents : written down
You must present documentary proof of your residence.
documentary evidence
Cite this Entry
“Documentary.” Merriam-Webster.com Simple Definition, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/simple/documentary. Accessed 20 Jun. 2026.
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