autobiography
gb/ˌɔtoʊbaɪˈɑɡɹəfi/ us/ˌɔtoʊbaɪˈɑɡɹəfi/
B2
English
~ 9100
Senses
0 senses
Noun
B2
entity
1
book about your own life
A book or long piece of writing in which a person writes the story of their own life.
Usage pattern:
an autobiography of [someone]
Common mistake:
Learners often confuse "autobiography" with "biography". An *autobiography* is written by the person about their own life, while a *biography* is written by another person. Learners may also mix up "autobiography" and "memoir"; a memoir usually focuses on part of a life or on special experiences, not necessarily the whole life story.
Synonyms
memoir (Often focuses on certain periods, themes, or experiences in a life, instead of telling the full life story from beginning to end.)
|
life story (More general and informal; can be spoken or written and is not necessarily a book.)
Antonyms
biography (A written account of a person's life by someone else, not by the person themself.)
Collocations
write an autobiography
|publish an autobiography
|read an autobiography
|celebrity autobiography
|political autobiography
|best-selling autobiography
Themes
literature
|media
|education
|arts_entertainment
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- She spent five years writing an autobiography about her journey from refugee to surgeon.
- In his autobiography, the actor admits that fame made him deeply unhappy.
- The prime minister's autobiography became a bestseller the week it was released.
- Students were asked to compare the author's autobiography with a biography written by a historian.
- Her autobiography covers everything from her childhood in a small village to her career in international politics.
Learner examples
- I am reading an autobiography of a famous singer.
- In his autobiography, he talks about his poor childhood.
- She hopes to write an autobiography when she is older.
- The library has many autobiographies by sports stars.
- A biography is written by another person, but an autobiography is written by the person themself.
Noun
C1
entity
2
life story in other media
A story in a film, book, or other art that is very close to the real life of the person who made it, so it is like their own life story.
Usage pattern:
[something] is almost an autobiography
Common mistake:
Learners may not realize that "autobiography" can be used for films, music, or other art, not only for traditional books. In these cases, the word is used a bit loosely to mean that the work closely follows the creator's real life.
Synonyms
self-portrait (Often used for visual art; suggests a picture of the self, sometimes used figuratively for works that reveal a lot about the creator's life or character.)
Antonyms
pure fiction (Describes a work that is completely invented and not based on the creator's real life.)
Collocations
almost an autobiography
|virtually an autobiography
|cinematic autobiography
|musical autobiography
Themes
literature
|media
|arts
|arts_entertainment
|communication
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- Many critics say the film is basically an autobiography of the director's troubled youth.
- Her first album feels like an autobiography set to music.
- The novel is so close to his own experiences that it reads as a thinly veiled autobiography.
- Some viewers disliked how the series turned into an autobiography of the showrunner halfway through.
- The painter's late works form a kind of visual autobiography of her struggle with illness.
Learner examples
- The movie is almost an autobiography of the writer's own life.
- Some people say the TV show is like an autobiography of the creator.
- Her songs are so personal that the album is a kind of autobiography.
- The book is not pure fiction; it is close to an autobiography of the author.
- The story follows his real life so closely that it feels like an autobiography on screen.
Grammar
Dictionary form
autobiography
IPA
GB/ˌɔtoʊbaɪˈɑɡɹəfi/
US/ˌɔtoʊbaɪˈɑɡɹəfi/
Syllables & stress
auto - bi - o - graphy (4 syllables)
Stress on 4th syllable (graphy)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: autobiography
- Plural: autobiographies, autobiography
Word family
Forms
autobiographies
noun
Core family
autobiographical
adjective
Related words
Advanced or less common
autobiographer
noun
autobiographically
adverb
Expressions
No expressions linked to this entry yet.