documentary

1 of 2

adjective

doc·​u·​men·​ta·​ry ˌdä-kyə-ˈmen-tə-rē How to pronounce documentary (audio)
-ˈmen-trē,
-kyü-
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 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

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
That’s on the latest episode of Doc Talk, hosted by Oscar winner Ridley (12 Years a Slave, Shirley) and Carey, Deadline’s documentary editor. Matthew Carey, Deadline, 11 Mar. 2025 Against that backdrop, this year’s festival hopes to accomplish what so many documentary filmmakers set out to achieve: to bear witness, spark debate, speak truth to power, and provide some measure of comfort and community in tumultuous times. Christopher Vourlias, Variety, 6 Mar. 2025
Noun
As a long-standing fan of the Emmy-award winning documentary that has chronicled the ownership of Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, the former England international was already well versed in not only the Welsh club’s rise, but also the local characters. Richard Sutcliffe, The Athletic, 14 Mar. 2025 The documentary is brought to audiences by the SHEBA brand, with Cravalho attached as an associate producer. Matt Minton, Variety, 13 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

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Documentary.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/documentary. Accessed 18 Mar. 2025.

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 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

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