documentary 1 of 2

noun

Definition of documentarynext
as in docudrama

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documentary

2 of 2

adjective

ˌdä-kyə-ˈmen-tə-rē How to pronounce documentary (audio)
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
This video is intended solely for education, documentary and historical analysis purposes. — Meagan Harris, CBS News, 14 Oct. 2026 As a viewer, the biggest strike against Holmes is this documentary’s very existence. — Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 14 Oct. 2026
Adjective
The fest’s feature film competition jury will be presided over by James Bond director Cary Joji Fukunaga, while filmmaker Sine Plambech will head up the documentary competition jury. — Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 24 Sep. 2026 Supporters of the three men said the allegations were baseless and contradicted by documentary evidence. — ABC News, 23 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for documentary
Recent Examples of Synonyms for documentary
  1. docudrama
  2. historical
  3. feature
  4. factual
  5. film
  6. nonfictional
  7. featurette
  8. literal
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
  • The row reached the competition jury’s press conference the day after the opening ceremony, where a reporter raised the question of historical fact and creative freedom.
    — Ophélie Surcouf, Variety, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Furthermore, the use of economic arguments to justify oppression has disturbing historical precedent.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of historical
Noun
  • The low-budget feature will mark Just’s directorial debut, and be the second in the new Dogma25 slate of ambitious arthouse features from producer Zentropa.
    — Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Produced by Emilie Lesclaux and Film at Lincoln Center, it was shot during the 2025 New York Film Festival, where the two directors were presenting their latest features, and grew out of conversations between them.
    — Lise Pedersen, Variety, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of feature
Adjective
  • Could that feeling of truth be arrived at via extra-factual means?
    — Charles Bethea, New Yorker, 9 Oct. 2026
  • The reason for that is the unquenching market need for solid factual projects that can both be popular on linear channels and drive older viewers to streaming services.
    — Max Goldbart, Deadline, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of factual
Noun
  • The nearly six-minute film shows how the team combines precision machining, assembly, and repair to accelerate robot development.
    — Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Dyrholm’s casting in Incidents of Intimacy marks a homecoming for the Danish actress who was part of the ensemble cast in Thomas Vinterberg’s Cannes Jury Prize winner The Celebration, the first film to be made under the original manifesto.
    — Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of film
Adjective
  • In Aaron Sorkin’s new thriller, the fictional Haugen — who, like her nonfictional counterpart, leaks thousands of documents to Wall Street Journal reporter Jeff Horwitz — habitually dons the accessories.
    — Lauren Feiner, The Verge, 9 Oct. 2026
  • In a world where true-crime shows of both the fictional and nonfictional variety run rampant on our screens, that’s probably not a bad corporate strategy.
    — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of nonfictional
Noun
  • The showings will also be accompanied by a new featurette with director James McTeigue, who reflects on the enduring mythology of V and why the film’s ideas of freedom and resistance still resonate today.
    — Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 18 Sep. 2026
  • Cruise, never shy about the affiliation, climbed the Paramount water tower for the studio’s CinemaCon 2025 presentation featurette.
    — Jack Dunn, Variety, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of featurette
Adjective
  • Rather than doing a literal adaptation, the creators kept the book’s DNA and tweaked the ideas of evil, temptation and power with a contemporary twist.
    — Annika Pham, Variety, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Edebiri’s look brings to mind musician Bjork’s quite literal interpretation of a swan dress at the 2001 Academy Awards; an outfit cemented in pop culture history as one of the red carpet’s most referenced, albeit campy, moments.
    — Bianca Betancourt, CNN Money, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of literal

Browse Nearby Words

documentaries
documentary
documentation
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Cite this Entry

“Documentary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/documentary. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

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