documentary

Pluraldocumentaries

1. 1
   nouncountable or uncountable

   A film or TV show that gives real facts about a subject like history, science, or society.

   Like a news story, but longer: it shows real things instead of made-up ones.

   We watched a documentary about wild animals in Africa.

   The documentary showed how the old city was built hundreds of years ago.

   Note
2. 2
   adjective

   Made to record or show what something is really like.

   Like keeping a photo album so you can later show others what really happened.

   The artist's documentary sketches recorded life in the mining town.

   The film took a documentary approach, showing events as they really happened.

   Similarfactual, observational

   Note
3. 3
   adjective

   Based on written papers or records.

   Like proving something happened by showing the paper that says so.

   The lawyer needed documentary proof of the sale.

   They found documentary evidence in a box of old letters.

   Similararchival, written, recorded

   Oppositeoral

   Note
4. 4
   noununcountable

   Films and shows that tell about real things, thought of together as one kind of movie.

   Like calling all true-story films one big family.

   She enjoys documentary more than any other type of film.

   The festival set aside a whole section just for documentary.

   Oppositefiction

   Note
5. 5
   adjective

   Showing real facts only, with nothing made up added in.

   Like a witness who only tells what they saw, adding nothing of their own.

   The book gave a documentary account of the war, with nothing invented.

   Her writing has a plain, documentary tone that sticks to the facts.

   Similarfactual, objective, realistic

   Oppositefictional, invented

   Note

Showing meanings only. Show all 5