DOCUMENTARY Synonyms: 85 Similar and Opposite Words

documentary 1 of 2

noun

Definition of documentary

as in docudrama

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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

For her documentary, Khosla aimed to follow a tree from high country to factory smokestack. — Los Angeles Times, 21 Oct. 2026 Taking part will be 13 producers with fiction and documentary features in development will take part, as well as two observing producers. — Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 21 Oct. 2026

Adjective

Additionally, a companion documentary-style film spotlights Loopwheeler’s fabric. — Angela Velasquez, Footwear News, 14 Oct. 2026 However, cinematographers always need time and encouragement to get inventive with commonplace tools, especially in the documentary world where Hutchens does so much work. — Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 13 Oct. 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

The couple took pains to preserve historical details like the house's original wooden shutters.

— Sophie Caldwell,Valentina Duarte, CNBC, 22 Oct. 2026
City outlines restrictions on camera use In its statement, the city said officers must enter an offense type and associated case number when conducting historical ALPR searches as part of investigations.

— Nicole Buss, Sacbee.com, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of historical

Noun

Social media giant Meta was hit with a class action lawsuit in Australia on behalf of children and teenagers who allegedly suffered harm over the addictive design features and exposure to harmful content on its platforms Facebook and Instagram.

— Chad de Guzman, Time, 22 Oct. 2026
While the iPhone Duo’s software certainly felt much smoother and more fluid than Android alternatives, many of its core features have been available on Samsung or Google phones for years.

— Lisa Eadicicco, CNN Money, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of feature

Adjective

Dunlay said the city prepared the report to provide the City Council with factual information about investments in the 2nd District over a 10-year period.

— Nicole Buss, Sacbee.com, 23 Oct. 2026
Within Italy’s unscripted sphere, the factual genre has seen the most significant growth, up 36% in terms of number of hours, with the number of domestic factual titles adapted from international formats doubling.

— Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of factual

Noun

Leica still makes film cameras, including the MP and M-A, which have no digital parts.

— Catherina Gioino, Fortune, 21 Oct. 2026
Mirren was first introduced to Highsmith through her husband Taylor Hackford, becoming a fan of her books as well as their many film adaptations.

— Alex Jhamb Burns, Vogue, 21 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

The result was less a literal biker wardrobe than an exchange of visual codes between performance machinery and fashion.

— Footwear News, Footwear News, 22 Oct. 2026
In these situations, withdrawing into a literal or symbolic dark room—avoiding sources of stress and going to a safe place—can be adaptive in the short term.

— Maia Szalavitz, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of literal

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documentaries

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documentation

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“Documentary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/documentary. Accessed 26 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of documentary

noun

adjective

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