autobiography

noun

au·​to·​bi·​og·​ra·​phy ˌȯ-tə-bī-ˈä-grə-fē How to pronounce autobiography (audio)
-bē-
plural autobiographies
: the biography of a person narrated by that person : a usually written account of a person's life in their own words
celebrity autobiographies
The fall and rise of Chrysler Corporation is an oft-told tale—three books on the subject have appeared already, including Lee Iacocca's bestselling autobiography.Jerry Flint
Frederick Douglass's autobiographies are invaluable both for what they reveal about antebellum slavery and for what they reveal about a remarkable American.Peter Kolchin
This last book … is part autobiography and part fiction, though it is listed as fiction.Mims Cushing
Some 400 crowded both floors of the bookstore and lined up around the block as Iggy [Pop] signed the entire stock of 200 copies of his autobiography "I Need More."Publishers Weekly
In recent years, the biggest-selling baseball books have been autobiographies of colorful personalities, written with the aid of collaborators.Ray Walters
The letters are arranged chronologically and episodically to form an autobiography.William S. McFeely

Examples of autobiography in a Sentence

I read her autobiography last year.
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
The star then encouraged his followers to read Jones’s 2002 autobiography Q, and check out his 2018 Netflix documentary Quincy, which was directed by his daughter Rashida Jones. Rachel Desantis, People.com, 4 Nov. 2024 Garr’s autobiography, titled Speedbumps: Flooring It Through Hollywood, was published in 2005. Erik Pedersen, Deadline, 29 Oct. 2024 The chance discovery of Kempe’s autobiography speaks to the rich trove of writing about medieval women that survives to this day, as well as the countless works that have been lost over the centuries, Jackson says. Meilan Solly, Smithsonian Magazine, 24 Oct. 2024 But these self-serving vehicles shouldn’t indict the larger genre of political autobiography. Franklin Foer, The Atlantic, 23 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for autobiography 

Word History

Etymology

auto- + biography, perhaps after German Autobiographie

First Known Use

1797, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of autobiography was in 1797

Dictionary Entries Near autobiography

Cite this Entry

“Autobiography.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/autobiography. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

autobiography

noun
au·​to·​bi·​og·​ra·​phy ˌȯt-ə-bī-ˈäg-rə-fē How to pronounce autobiography (audio)
-bē-
: a biography written by the person it is about
autobiographer noun
autobiographical adjective
also autobiographic
autobiographically adverb
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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