DOCUMENTARY Synonyms: 85 Similar and Opposite Words

documentary 1 of 2

noun

Definition of documentary

as in docudrama

Related Words

Relevance

documentary

2 of 2

adjective

ˌdä-kyə-ˈmen-tə-rē

as in historical

restricted to or based on fact a documentary film about the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of documentary

Noun

The event will also feature soccer star Abby Wambach and Olympic gold medalist Hilary Knight and a screening of the 30 for 30 documentary Give Me The Ball! — Hilary Lewis, HollywoodReporter, 16 Sep. 2026 In addition to the garment collection, documentary materials, including thousands of original sketches, patterns and swatches, are now housed at the Kheel Center for Labor-Management Documentation and Archives at Cornell University Library. — Lisa Lockwood, Footwear News, 16 Sep. 2026

Adjective

Supposedly, the documentary crew that followed Dunder Mifflin’s Scranton branch has moved on to its next project, chronicling a Midwestern newspaper's struggle to survive. — Julie Hinds, Freep.com, 3 Sep. 2026 So much so that a charismatic friend (Holly Sabiston) in Austin, Texas, put me in touch with another friend of hers, Laura Dunn, who was making a documentary film about Wendell and his vision. — Literary Hub, 2 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for documentary

Recent Examples of Synonyms for documentary

Noun

The audience gave a festival-best 22-minute standing ovation to the ticking-clock docudrama about efforts to save a 5-year-old Palestinian girl killed by the IDF.

— Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 2 Sep. 2026
Either way, the age of the football docudrama looks here to stay.

— Tim Spiers, New York Times, 20 Aug. 2026

Definition of docudrama

Adjective

Least Heat-Moon is part-indigenous, and his sensitive awareness of race, class, and historical inequalities enriches his anthropological, but poetic style.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 17 Sep. 2026
The exemption is designed to apply to cars used primarily in shows, parades, charitable functions and historical exhibitions.

— Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 17 Sep. 2026

Definition of historical

Noun

Duarte’s writing features detailed prose and a moving storyline, encompassing grief, healing, and the losses borne by a Latinx family in the name of American patriotism.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 17 Sep. 2026
Another endearing dining feature at the property is its honesty pantry containing drinks and snacks to go and a coffee station for early risers—guests can feel free to pad about any time of day or night.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 17 Sep. 2026

Definition of feature

Adjective

That factual slipperiness might matter less if the psychology connected more deeply.

— Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 5 Sep. 2026
Docs On The Dock There is always a strong line up of documentaries at the Rendez-Vous, with sellers turning up at the waterfront location with new factual shows.

— Stewart Clarke, Deadline, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of factual

Noun

It was overshadowed completely by the film adaptation of Jesus Christ Superstar, directed by my countryman Norman Jewison and released a few months after our film, to big crowds and grosses.

— Victor Garber, Vulture, 17 Sep. 2026
Hollywood’s leading studio, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), intended the film to be an important one; it had been allocated one of the largest budgets in cinematic history, two million dollars.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 17 Sep. 2026

Definition of film

Adjective

This is what gives the film its experiential sincerity — the lived perspective of its Ukrainian crew leaving a nonfictional trace across every level of the fiction, something Stever handles with unusual reverence.

— Sonya Vseliubska, IndieWire, 7 Aug. 2026
Pee-Wee as Himself, the 2025 Emmy award winner for best documentary or nonfictional special, is also among the nominees.

— Brande Victorian, HollywoodReporter, 7 Apr. 2026

Definition of nonfictional

Adjective

There’s certainly much to be said for literal escape as a healing strategy, but Morrison’s permanently luminous film too often feels like a magazine spread about that process.

— Guy Lodge, Variety, 16 Sep. 2026
Meanwhile, teachers say they are left picking up the literal pieces.

— Charlie De Mar, CBS News, 16 Sep. 2026

Definition of literal

Browse Nearby Words

documentaries

documentary

documentation

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Documentary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/documentary. Accessed 19 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of documentary

noun

adjective

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster on documentary

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

aggrandize

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Popular in Wordplay

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 18

Popular

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Games & Quizzes