biography
gb/baɪˈɑɡɹəfi/ us/baɪˈɑɡɹəfi/
B1
English
~ 3300
Senses
0 senses
Noun
B1
entity
1
Written account of a person's life
A book or article that tells the story of a person's life.
Usage pattern:
[someone]'s biography
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'biography' with 'autobiography'. A biography is written by someone else, while an autobiography is written by the person themselves.
Synonyms
life story (Less formal and often shorter or more personal than a biography.)
|
profile (Usually shorter and less detailed, often in magazines or online.)
Antonyms
fiction (Fiction is made-up stories, while a biography is based on real life.)
Collocations
write a biography
|read a biography
|official biography
|authorized biography
|biography of [someone]
Themes
literature
|history
|media
|education
|arts_entertainment
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- The author spent years researching the biography of the famous scientist.
- I just finished reading a biography of Nelson Mandela.
- Her official biography was released to coincide with her retirement from politics.
- He was inspired after reading a biography of an Olympic athlete.
- The museum published a short biography of each featured artist.
Learner examples
- I read a biography of my favorite singer.
- She is writing a biography of her father.
- This is a biography of an important leader.
- He enjoys reading biographies in his free time.
- The biography tells the story of her life.
Grammar
Dictionary form
biography
IPA
GB/baɪˈɑɡɹəfi/
US/baɪˈɑɡɹəfi/
Syllables & stress
bio - graphy (2 syllables)
Stress on 2nd syllable (graphy)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: biography
- Plural: biographies
Word family
Forms
biographies
noun
Core family
biographer
noun
biographical
adjective B2
Related words
Advanced or less common
biographically
adverb
Expressions
authorized biography
1/ˈɔθɚˌaɪzd baɪˈɑɡɹəfi/
fixed phrase
Life story published with permission
A book about someone's life that is officially approved by them or their family.
Examples
- The authorized biography includes interviews with the subject's close friends.
- Her authorized biography was carefully reviewed before publication.
unauthorized biography
1/ʌnˈɔθɚˌaɪzd baɪˈɑɡɹəfi/
fixed phrase
biography without subject’s approval
A book that tells a person’s life story but was written and published without that person’s approval or help.
Examples
- The singer was upset about the release of an unauthorized biography.
- The actor criticized the unauthorized biography for containing many errors.
- An unauthorized biography revealed many private details about the actor.
- She refused to give interviews for the unauthorized biography about her childhood.