documentary

1 of 2

adjective

doc·​u·​men·​ta·​ry ˌdä-kyə-ˈmen-tə-rē How to pronounce documentary (audio)
-ˈmen-trē,
-kyü-
Synonyms of documentarynext
1
: being or consisting of documents : contained or certified in writing
documentary evidence
2
: of, relating to, or employing documentation (see documentation sense 2) in literature or art
broadly : factual, objective
a documentary film of the war
documentarily
ˌdä-kyə-mən-ˈter-ə-lē How to pronounce documentary (audio)
-ˌmen-
-kyü-
adverb

documentary

2 of 2

noun

plural documentaries
: a presentation (such as a film or novel) expressing or dealing with factual events : a documentary presentation

Synonyms

Adjective

See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of documentary in a Sentence

Adjective You must present documentary proof of your residence. a documentary film about the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor Noun We watched a documentary on the early history of jazz.
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.
Adjective
Inti Cordera is a documentary film director, producer, and founder of La Maroma Productions and the DocsMX festival & organization in Mexico City. — Matthew Carey, Deadline, 20 Mar. 2025 Read IndieWire’s earlier story on what Trump dismantling Voice of America means for documentary filmmakers and other public media. — Anthony Kaufman, IndieWire, 19 Mar. 2025
Noun
The festival’s diverse lineup included 39 narrative features, 16 documentary features, and 38 short films. — Anne Thompson, IndieWire, 23 Mar. 2025 Cutting-edge visual effects create a world of talking photorealistic animals that might as well be a nature documentary, and attention is paid to livening up the humor, with Billy Eichner’s funny, overdramatic meerkat Timon showing up everybody, including Beyoncé. 9. — Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 22 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for documentary

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

see document entry 1

Noun

see document entry 1

First Known Use

Adjective

1802, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1935, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of documentary was in 1802

Rhymes for documentary

See All Rhymes for documentary

Browse Nearby Words

documentarist
documentary
documentary bill
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Documentary.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/documentary. Accessed 29 Mar. 2025.

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Kids Definition

documentary

1 of 2 adjective
doc·​u·​men·​ta·​ry ˌdäk-yə-ˈment-ə-rē How to pronounce documentary (audio)
-ˈmen-trē
1
: consisting of documents
also : being in writing
documentary proof
2
: presenting actual events or facts about something
a documentary film
documentarily
-mən-ˈter-ə-lē How to pronounce documentary (audio)
-ˌmen-
adverb

documentary

2 of 2 noun
plural documentaries
: a documentary presentation (as a film or novel)

Legal Definition

documentary

adjective
doc·​u·​men·​ta·​ry ˌdä-kyə-ˈmen-tə-rē How to pronounce documentary (audio)
: being, consisting of, or contained in documents
documentary evidence

More from Merriam-Webster on documentary

Nglish: Translation of documentary for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about documentary

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