biographical
gb/bˌaɪəɡɹˈæfɪkəl/ us/bˌaɪəɡɹˈæfɪkəl/
B2
English
~ 9600
Senses
0 senses
adjective
B2
property
1
relating to a person's life story
About the real life story of a person, especially in a book or movie.
Usage pattern:
biographical [noun]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse "biographical" with "autobiographical". "Biographical" means about a person’s life, written by someone else; "autobiographical" means the person writes about their own life. Another mistake is to use the noun instead of the adjective, for example *"a biography film"* instead of the correct phrase *"a biographical film"*.
Synonyms
biographic (Variant form of the same word; slightly more common in technical or library contexts.)
|
based on a true story (Common phrase for movies or books about real lives; less formal and usually longer than a single adjective like "biographical".)
Antonyms
fictional (Describes stories or characters that are invented, not based on a real person's life.)
Collocations
biographical details
|biographical information
|biographical film
|biographical novel
|biographical sketch
|biographical note
Themes
arts
|media
|writing
|arts_entertainment
|education
|communication
Examples
- The film offers a loosely biographical account of the singer's early years.
- She is writing a biographical study of Nelson Mandela.
- The website asks you to enter some basic biographical details.
- His biographical essay focuses on the artist's time in Paris.
- Researchers used biographical data to match participants in the study.
Learner examples
- The movie is based on biographical facts.
- He reads many biographical books about famous people.
- Please write your biographical information on the form.
- She wrote a short biographical text about her teacher.
Grammar
Dictionary form
biographical
IPA
GB/bˌaɪəɡɹˈæfɪkəl/
US/bˌaɪəɡɹˈæfɪkəl/
Syllables & stress
bio - graph - ic - al (4 syllables)
Stress on 2nd syllable (graph)
Word forms
Adjective
- Base: biographical
Word family
Core family
biography
noun B1
Related words
Expressions
biographical data
1/bˌaɪəɡɹˈæfɪkəl dˈætə/
fixed phrase
technical
structured life facts for records
Recorded facts about a person’s life, often used in research, forms, or official records.
Examples
- Participants completed a questionnaire with basic biographical data.
- The company keeps biographical data on all employees in a secure database.
- Biographical data such as age and education level were used in the analysis.
biographical details
1/bˌaɪəɡɹˈæfɪkəl dˈiteɪlz/
fixed phrase
specific facts about someone's life
Small facts about a person’s life, such as age, job, education, or family.
Examples
- The form asks for basic biographical details such as date of birth and nationality.
- Her biographical details were updated on the company website.
- The interviewer began by checking the candidate's biographical details.
biographical film
1/bˌaɪəɡɹˈæfɪkəl fˈɪlm/
fixed phrase
film about a real person's life
A movie that shows the real life story of a person.
Examples
- The director is working on a biographical film about the famous scientist.
- She prefers documentaries and biographical films to action movies.
- The actor won an award for his role in a biographical film about a political leader.
biographical information
1/bˌaɪəɡɹˈæfɪkəl ˌɪnfɔɹmˈeɪʃən/
fixed phrase
information about someone's life
Factual information about a person’s life, used in books, articles, or records.
Examples
- The article includes biographical information about the author at the end.
- We need some biographical information to complete your profile.
- The museum provides biographical information on all the featured artists.
biographical note
1/bˌaɪəɡɹˈæfɪkəl nˈoʊt/
fixed phrase
short note about someone's life
A short note that gives important facts about a person’s life, often at the end of a book or article.
Examples
- A short biographical note appears on the back cover of the book.
- The journal requires a biographical note of no more than 100 words.
- The biographical note mentions her previous publications and awards.
biographical novel
1/bˌaɪəɡɹˈæfɪkəl nˈɑvəl/
fixed phrase
novel about a real person's life
A book that tells a story based on the real life of a person, but written as a novel.
Examples
- He is best known for his biographical novel about the painter Van Gogh.
- The author spent years researching archives before writing the biographical novel.
- I enjoy biographical novels because they mix real history with storytelling.
biographical sketch
1/bˌaɪəɡɹˈæfɪkəl skˈɛt͡ʃ/
fixed phrase
short written life summary
A short text that gives the main facts about a person’s life.
Examples
- Each student wrote a brief biographical sketch of a historical figure.
- The program includes a short biographical sketch of each speaker.
- The book opens with a biographical sketch of the author.