meaning in english of biography

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Definition of biography noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

• Boswell’s biography of Johnson
• a biography by Antonia Fraser
• The book gives potted biographies of all the major painters.
• blockbuster
• unauthorized
• biography by
• biography of

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• The Dictionary of National Biography
• Dictionary of National Biography

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a written account of another person's life: the biography of Byron by Marchand.

an account in biographical form of an organization, society, theater, animal, etc.

such writings collectively.

the writing of biography as an occupation or field of endeavor.

Origin of biography

Words nearby biography.

• biographical
• biographize
• bioindustry

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use biography in a sentence

Barrett didn’t say anything on Tuesday to contradict our understanding of her ideological leanings based on her past rulings, past statements and biography .

Republicans, meanwhile, focused mostly on her biography — including her role as a working mother of seven and her Catholic faith — and her credentials, while offering few specifics about her record as a law professor and judge.

She delivered an inspiring biography at one point, reflecting on the sacrifice her mother made to emigrate to the United States.

As Walter Isaacson pointed out in his biography of Benjamin Franklin, Franklin proposed the postal system as a vital network to bond together the 13 disparate colonies.

Serving that end, the book is not an in-depth biography as much as a summary of Galileo’s life and science, plus a thorough recounting of the events leading up to his famous trial.

The Amazon biography for an author named Papa Faal mentions both Gambia and lists a military record that matches the FBI report.

For those unfamiliar with Michals, an annotated biography and useful essays are included.

Did you envision your Pryor biography as extending your previous investigation—aesthetically and historically?

But Stephen Kotkin's new biography reveals a learned despot who acted cunningly to take advantage of the times.

Watching novelists insult one another is one of the primary pleasures of his biography .

He also published two volumes of American biography , a work which his death abridged.

Mme. de Chaulieu gave her husband the three children designated in the duc's biography .

The biography of great men always has been, and always will be read with interest and profit.

I like biography far better than fiction myself: fiction is too free.

The Bookman: "A more entertaining narrative whether in biography or fiction has not appeared in recent years."

British Dictionary definitions for biography

/ ( baɪˈɒɡrəfɪ ) /

an account of a person's life by another

such accounts collectively

Derived forms of biography

• biographer , noun
• biographical ( ˌbaɪəˈɡræfɪk ə l ) or archaic biographic , adjective
• biographically , adverb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for biography

The story of someone's life. The Life of Samuel Johnson , by James Boswell , and Abraham Lincoln , by Carl Sandburg , are two noted biographies. The story of the writer's own life is an autobiography .

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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biography noun

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What does the noun biography mean?

There are three meanings listed in OED's entry for the noun biography . See ‘Meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence.

How common is the noun biography ?

How is the noun biography pronounced, british english, u.s. english, where does the noun biography come from.

Earliest known use

The earliest known use of the noun biography is in the mid 1600s.

OED's earliest evidence for biography is from 1661, in the writing of John Fell, bishop of Oxford.

biography is a borrowing from Latin.

Etymons: Latin biographia .

Nearby entries

• biognosy, n. 1880
• biograph, n. 1825–
• biograph, v. 1776–
• biographee, n. 1812–
• biographer, n. 1644–
• biographic, adj. 1752–
• biographical, adj. 1668–
• biographically, adv. ?1719–
• biographist, n. a1661–
• biographize, v. 1793–
• biography, n. 1661–
• biography, v. 1794–
• biographying, n. 1858–
• biohacker, n. 1988–
• biohacking, n. 1992–
• biohazard, n. 1965–
• biohazardous, adj. 1973–
• bioherm, n. 1928–
• biohermal, adj. 1937–
• bioidentical, adj. 1995–
• bioimaging, n. 1983–

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Meaning & use

Pronunciation, compounds & derived words, entry history for biography, n..

biography, n. was revised in November 2010.

biography, n. was last modified in July 2023.

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• new senses, phrases, and quotations.

Revisions and additions of this kind were last incorporated into biography, n. in July 2023.

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Citation details

Factsheet for biography, n., browse entry.

What Is a Biography?

Learning from the experiences of others is what makes us human.

At the core of every biography is the story of someone’s humanity. While biographies come in many sub-genres, the one thing they all have in common is loyalty to the facts, as they’re available at the time. Here’s how we define biography, a look at its origins, and some popular types.

“Biography” Definition

A biography is simply the story of a real person’s life. It could be about a person who is still alive, someone who lived centuries ago, someone who is globally famous, an unsung hero forgotten by history, or even a unique group of people. The facts of their life, from birth to death (or the present day of the author), are included with life-changing moments often taking center stage. The author usually points to the subject’s childhood, coming-of-age events, relationships, failures, and successes in order to create a well-rounded description of her subject.

Biographies require a great deal of research. Sources of information could be as direct as an interview with the subject providing their own interpretation of their life’s events. When writing about people who are no longer with us, biographers look for primary sources left behind by the subject and, if possible, interviews with friends or family. Historical biographers may also include accounts from other experts who have studied their subject.

The biographer’s ultimate goal is to recreate the world their subject lived in and describe how they functioned within it. Did they change their world? Did their world change them? Did they transcend the time in which they lived? Why or why not? And how? These universal life lessons are what make biographies such a meaningful read.

Origins of the Biography

Greco-Roman literature honored the gods as well as notable mortals. Whether winning or losing, their behaviors were to be copied or seen as cautionary tales. One of the earliest examples written exclusively about humans is Plutarch’s Parallel Lives (probably early 2 nd century AD). It’s a collection of biographies in which a pair of men, one Greek and one Roman, are compared and held up as either a good or bad example to follow.

In the Middle Ages, Einhard’s The Life of Charlemagne (around 817 AD) stands out as one of the most famous biographies of its day. Einhard clearly fawns over Charlemagne’s accomplishments throughout, yet it doesn’t diminish the value this biography has brought to centuries of historians since its writing.

Considered the earliest modern biography, The Life of Samuel Johnson (1791) by James Boswell looks like the biographies we know today. Boswell conducted interviews, performed years of research, and created a compelling narrative of his subject.

The genre evolves as the 20th century arrives, and with it the first World War. The 1920s saw a boom in autobiographies in response. Robert Graves’ Good-Bye to All That (1929) is a coming-of age story set amid the absurdity of war and its aftermath. That same year, Mahatma Gandhi wrote The Story of My Experiments with Truth , recalling how the events of his life led him to develop his theories of nonviolent rebellion. In this time, celebrity tell-alls also emerged as a popular form of entertainment. With the horrors of World War II and the explosion of the civil rights movement, American biographers of the late 20 th century had much to archive. Instantly hailed as some of the best writing about the war, John Hersey’s Hiroshima (1946) tells the stories of six people who lived through those world-altering days. Alex Haley wrote the as-told-to The Autobiography of Malcom X (1965). Yet with biographies, the more things change, the more they stay the same. One theme that persists is a biographer’s desire to cast its subject in an updated light, as in Eleanor and Hick: The Love Affair that Shaped a First Lady by Susan Quinn (2016).

Types of Biographies

Contemporary Biography: Authorized or Unauthorized

The typical modern biography tells the life of someone still alive, or who has recently passed. Sometimes these are authorized — written with permission or input from the subject or their family — like Dave Itzkoff’s intimate look at the life and career of Robin Williams, Robin . Unauthorized biographies of living people run the risk of being controversial. Kitty Kelley’s infamous His Way: The Unauthorized Biography of Frank Sinatra so angered Sinatra, he tried to prevent its publication.

Historical Biography

The wild success of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Hamilton is proof that our interest in historical biography is as strong as ever. Miranda was inspired to write the musical after reading Ron Chernow’s Alexander Hamilton , an epic 800+ page biography intended to cement Hamilton’s status as a great American. Paula Gunn Allen also sets the record straight on another misunderstood historical figure with Pocahontas: Medicine Woman, Spy, Entrepreneur, Diplomat , revealing details about her tribe, her family, and her relationship with John Smith that are usually missing from other accounts. Historical biographies also give the spotlight to people who died without ever getting the recognition they deserved, such as The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks .

Biography of a Group

When a group of people share unique characteristics, they can be the topic of a collective biography. The earliest example of this is Captain Charles Johnson’s A General History of the Pirates (1724), which catalogs the lives of notorious pirates and establishes the popular culture images we still associate with them. Smaller groups are also deserving of a biography, as seen in David Hajdu’s Positively 4th Street , a mesmerizing behind-the-scenes look at the early years of Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Mimi Baez Fariña, and Richard Fariña as they establish the folk scene in New York City. Likewise, British royal family fashion is a vehicle for telling the life stories of four iconic royals – Queen Elizabeth II, Diana, Kate, and Meghan – in HRH: So Many Thoughts on Royal Style by style journalist Elizabeth Holmes.

Autobiography

This type of biography is written about one’s self, spanning an entire life up to the point of its writing. One of the earliest autobiographies is Saint Augustine’s The Confessions (400), in which his own experiences from childhood through his religious conversion are told in order to create a sweeping guide to life. Maya Angelou’s I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings is the first of six autobiographies that share all the pain of her childhood and the long road that led to her work in the civil rights movement, and a beloved, prize-winning writer.

Memoirs are a type of autobiography, written about a specific but vital aspect of one’s life. In Toil & Trouble , Augusten Burroughs explains how he has lived his life as a witch. Mikel Jollett’s Hollywood Park recounts his early years spent in a cult, his family’s escape, and his rise to success with his band, The Airborne Toxic Event. Barack Obama’s first presidential memoir, A Promised Land , charts his path into politics and takes a deep dive into his first four years in office.

Fictional Biography

Fictional biographies are no substitute for a painstakingly researched scholarly biography, but they’re definitely meant to be more entertaining. Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald by Therese Anne Fowler constructs Zelda and F. Scott’s wild, Jazz-Age life, told from Zelda’s point of view. The Only Woman in the Room by Marie Benedict brings readers into the secret life of Hollywood actress and wartime scientist, Hedy Lamarr. These imagined biographies, while often whimsical, still respect the form in that they depend heavily on facts when creating setting, plot, and characters.

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What Is Biography? Definition, Usage, and Literary Examples

Biography definition.

A  biography  (BYE-og-ruh-fee) is a written account of one person’s life authored by another person. A biography includes all pertinent details from the subject’s life, typically arranged in a chronological order. The word  biography  stems from the Latin  biographia , which succinctly explains the word’s definition:  bios  = “life” +  graphia  = “write.”

Since the advent of the written word, historical writings have offered information about real people, but it wasn’t until the 18th century that biographies evolved into a separate literary genre.  Autobiographies  and memoirs fall under the broader biography genre, but they are distinct literary forms due to one key factor: the subjects themselves write these works. Biographies are popular source materials for documentaries, television shows, and motion pictures.

The History of Biographies

The biography form has its roots in Ancient Rome and Greece. In 44 BCE, Roman writer Cornelius Nepos published  Excellentium Imperatorum Vitae  ( Lives of the Generals ), one of the earliest recorded biographies. In 80 CE, Greek writer Plutarch released  Parallel Lives , a sweeping work consisting of 48 biographies of famous men. In 121 CE, Roman historian Suetonius wrote  De vita Caesarum  ( On the Lives of the Caesars ), a series of 12 biographies detailing the lives of Julius Caesar and the first 11 emperors of the Roman Empire. These were among the most widely read biographies of their time, and at least portions of them have survived intact over the millennia.

During the Middle Ages, the Roman Catholic Church had a notable influence on biographies. Historical, political, and cultural biographies fell out of favor. Biographies of religious figures—including saints, popes, and church founders—replaced them. One notable exception was Italian painter/architect Giorgio Vasari’s 1550 biography,  The Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects , which was immensely popular. In fact, it is one of the first examples of a bestselling book.

Still, it wasn’t until the 18th century that authors began to abandon multiple subjects in a single work and instead focus their research and writing on one subject. Scholars consider James Boswell’s 1791  The Life of Samuel Johnson  to be the first modern biography. From here, biographies were established as a distinct literary genre, separate from more general historical writing.

As understanding of psychology and sociology grew in the 19th and early 20th centuries, biographies further evolved, offering up even more comprehensive pictures of their subjects. Authors who played major roles in this contemporary approach to biographing include Lytton Strachey, Gamaliel Bradford, and Robert Graves.

Types of Biographies

While all biographical works chronicle the lives of real people, writers can present the information in several different ways.

• Popular biographies are life histories written for a general readership.  The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks  by Rebecca Skloot and  Into the Wild  by Jon Krakauer are two popular examples.
• Critical biographies discuss the relationship between the subject’s life and the work they produced or were involved in; for example,  The Billionaire Who Wasn’t: How Chuck Feeney Secretly Made and Gave Away a Fortune  by Conor O’Clery and  Unpresidented: A Biography of Donald Trump  by Martha Brockenbrough.
• Historical biographies put greater understanding on how the subject’s life and contributions affected or were affected by the times in which they lived; see  John Adams  by David McCullough and  Catherine the Great  by Peter K. Massie.
• Literary biographies concentrate almost exclusively on writers and artists, blending a conventional  narrative  of the historical facts of the subject’s life with an exploration of how these facts impacted their creative output. Some examples include  Savage Beauty: The Life of Edna St. Vincent Millay  by Nancy Milford and  Jackson Pollock: An American Saga  by Gregory White Smith and Steven Naifeh.
• Reference biographies are more scholarly writings, usually written by multiple authors and covering multiple lives around a single topic. They verify facts, provide background details, and contribute supplemental information resources, like bibliographies, glossaries, and historical documents; for example,  Black Americans in Congress, 1870-2007  and the  Dictionary of Canadian Biography .
• Fictional biographies, or biographical novels, like  The Other Boleyn Girl  by Philippa Gregory, incorporate creative license into the retelling of a real person’s story by taking on the structure and freedoms of a novel. The term can also describe novels in which authors give an abundance of background information on their characters, to the extent that the novel reads more like a biography than fiction. An example of this is George R.R. Martin’s  Fire and Blood , a novel detailing the history of a royal family from his popular  A Song of Ice and Fire

Biographies and Filmed Entertainment

Movie makers and television creators frequently produce biographical stories, either as dramatized productions based on real people or as nonfiction accounts.

Documentary

This genre is a nonfictional movie or television show that uses historical records to tell the story of a subject. The subject might be a one person or a group of people, or it might be a certain topic or theme. To present a biography in a visually compelling way, documentaries utilize archival footage, recreations, and interviews with subjects, scholars, experts, and others associated with the subject.

Famous film documentaries include  Grey Gardens,  a biography of two of Jacqueline Kennedy’s once-wealthy cousins, who, at the time of filming, lived in squalor in a condemned mansion in the Hamptons; and  I Am Not Your Negro , a biography of the life and legacy of pioneering American author James Baldwin.

Television documentary series tell one story over the course of several episodes, like  The Jinx :  The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst , a biography of the real estate heir and alleged serial killer that focused on his suspected crimes. There are many nonfiction television shows that use a documentary format, but subjects typically change from one episode to the next, such as A&E’s  Biography  and PBS’s  POV .

These films are biographical motion pictures, written by screenwriters and performed by actors. They often employ a certain amount of creative liberty in their interpretation of a real life. This is largely done to maintain a feasible runtime; capturing all of the pivotal moments of a subject’s life in a 90- or 120-minute movie is all but impossible. So, filmmakers might choose to add, eliminate, or combine key events and characters, or they may focus primarily on one or only a few aspects of the subject’s life. Some popular examples:  Coal Miner’s Daughter , a biography of country music legend Loretta Lynn;  Malcom X , a biopic centered on the civil rights leader of the same name; and  The King’s Speech , a dramatization of Prince Albert’s efforts to overcome a stutter and ascend the English throne.

Semi-fictionalized account

This approach takes a real-life event and interprets or expands it in ways that stray beyond what actually happened. This is done for entertainment and to build the story so it fits the filmmaker’s vision or evolves into a longer form, such as a multi-season television show. These accounts sometimes come with the disclaimer that they are “inspired by true events.” Examples of semi-fictionalized accounts are the TV series  Orange Is the New Black ,  Masters of Sex , and  Mozart of the Jungle —each of which stem from at least one biographical element, but showrunners expounded upon to provide many seasons of entertainment.

The Functions of Biography

Biographies inform readers about the life of a notable person. They are a way to introduce readers to the work’s subject—the historical details, the subject’s motivations and psychological underpinnings, and their environment and the impact they had, both in the short and long term.

Because the author is somewhat removed from their subject, they can offer a more omniscient, third-person narrative account. This vantage point allows the author to put certain events into a larger context; compare and contrast events, people, and behaviors predominant in the subject’s life; and delve into psychological and sociological themes of which the subject may not have been aware.

Also, a writer structures a biography to make the life of the subject interesting and readable. Most biographers want to entertain as well as inform, so they typically use a traditional  plot  structure—an introduction,  conflict , rising of tension, a climax, a resolution, and an ending—to give the life story a narrative shape. While the ebb and flow of life is a normal day-to-day rhythm, it doesn’t necessarily make for entertaining reading. The job of the writer, then, becomes one of shaping the life to fit the elements of a good plot.

Writers Known for Biographies

Many modern writers have dedicated much of their careers to biographies, such as:

• Kitty Kelley, author of  Jackie Oh! An Intimate Biography; His Way: The Unauthorized Biography of Frank Sinatra ; and  The Family: The Real Story of the Bush Dynasty
• Antonia Fraser, author of  Mary Queen of Scots ;  Cromwell; Our Chief of Men ; and  The Gunpowder Plot: Terror and Faith in 1605
• David McCullough, author of  The Path Between the Seas; Truman ; and  John Adams
• Andrew Morton, author of  Diana: Her True Story in Her Own Words; Madonna ; and  Tom Cruise: An Unauthorized Biography
• Alison Weir, author of  The Six Wives of Henry VIII; Eleanor of Aquitaine: By the Wrath of God; Queen of England ; and  Katherine Swynford: The Story of John of Gaunt and His Scandalous Duchess

Examples of Biographies

1. James Boswell,  The Life of Samuel Johnson

The biography that ushered in the modern era of true-life writing,  The Life of Samuel Johnson  covered the entirety of its subject’s life, from his birth to his status as England’s preeminent writer to his death. Boswell was a personal acquaintance of Johnson, so he was able to draw on voluminous amounts of personal conversations the two shared.

What also sets this biography apart is, because Boswell was a contemporary of Johnson, readers see Johnson in the context of his own time. He wasn’t some fabled figure that a biographer was writing about centuries later; he was someone to whom the author had access, and Boswell could see the real-world influence his subject had on life in the here and now.

2. Sylvia Nasar,  A Beautiful Mind

Nasar’s 1998 Pulitzer Prize-nominated biography of mathematician John Nash introduced legions of readers to Nash’s remarkable life and genius. The book opens with Nash’s childhood and follows him through his education, career, personal life, and struggles with schizophrenia. It ends with his acceptance of the 1994 Nobel Prize for Economics. In addition to a Pulitzer nomination,  A Beautiful Mind  won the National Book Critics Circle Award for Biography, was a  New York Times  bestseller, and provided the basis for the Academy Award-winning 2001 film of the same name.

3. Catherine Clinton,  Harriet Tubman: The Road to Freedom

Clinton’s biography of the abolitionist icon is a large-scale epic that chronicles Tubman’s singular life. It starts at her birth in the 1820s as the slave Araminta Ross, continuing through her journey to freedom; her pivotal role in the Underground Railroad; her Moses-like persona; and her death in 1913.

Because Tubman could not read or write, she left behind no letters, diaries, or other personal papers in her own hand and voice. Clinton reconstructed Tubman’s history entirely through other source material, and historians often cite this work as the quintessential biography of Tubman’s life.

4. Megan Mayhew Bergman,  Almost Famous Women

Almost Famous Women  is not a biography in the strictest sense of the word; it is a fictional interpretation of real-life women. Each short story revolves around a woman from history with close ties to fame, such as movie star Marlene Dietrich, Standard Oil heiress Marion “Joe” Carstairs, aviatrix Beryl Markham, Oscar Wilde’s niece Dolly, and Lord Byron’s daughter Allegra. Mayhew Bergman imagines these colorful women in equally colorful episodes that put them in a new light—a light that perhaps offers them the honor and homage that history denied them.

Further Resources on Biography

Newsweek  compiled their picks for the  75 Best Biographies of All Time .

The Open Education Database has a list of  75 Biographies to Read Before You Die .

Goodreads put together a list of readers’  best biography selections .

If you’re looking to write biographies,  Infoplease  has instructions for writing shorter pieces, while  The Writer   has practical advice for writing manuscript-length bios.

Ranker  collected  a comprehensive list of famous biographers .

Related Terms

• Autobiography
• Short Story

Definition of Biography

A biography is the non- fiction , written history or account of a person’s life. Biographies are intended to give an objective portrayal of a person, written in the third person. Biographers collect information from the subject (if he/she is available), acquaintances of the subject, or in researching other sources such as reference material, experts, records, diaries, interviews, etc. Most biographers intend to present the life story of a person and establish the context of their story for the reader, whether in terms of history and/or the present day. In turn, the reader can be reasonably assured that the information presented about the biographical subject is as true and authentic as possible.

Biographies can be written about a person at any time, no matter if they are living or dead. However, there are limitations to biography as a literary device. Even if the subject is involved in the biographical process, the biographer is restricted in terms of access to the subject’s thoughts or feelings.

Biographical works typically include details of significant events that shape the life of the subject as well as information about their childhood, education, career, and relationships. Occasionally, a biography is made into another form of art such as a film or dramatic production. The musical production of “Hamilton” is an excellent example of a biographical work that has been turned into one of the most popular musical productions in Broadway history.

Common Examples of Biographical Subjects

Most people assume that the subject of a biography must be a person who is famous in some way. However, that’s not always the case. In general, biographical subjects tend to be interesting people who have pioneered something in their field of expertise or done something extraordinary for humanity. In addition, biographical subjects can be people who have experienced something unusual or heartbreaking, committed terrible acts, or who are especially gifted and/or talented.

As a literary device, biography is important because it allows readers to learn about someone’s story and history. This can be enlightening, inspiring, and meaningful in creating connections. Here are some common examples of biographical subjects:

• political leaders
• entrepreneurs
• historical figures
• serial killers
• notorious people
• political activists
• adventurers/explorers
• religious leaders
• military leaders
• cultural figures

Famous Examples of Biographical Works

The readership for biography tends to be those who enjoy learning about a certain person’s life or overall field related to the person. In addition, some readers enjoy the literary form of biography independent of the subject. Some biographical works become well-known due to either the person’s story or the way the work is written, gaining a readership of people who may not otherwise choose to read biography or are unfamiliar with its form.

Here are some famous examples of biographical works that are familiar to many readers outside of biography fans:

• Alexander Hamilton (Ron Chernow)
• Prairie Fires: The American Dreams of Laura Ingalls Wilder (Caroline Fraser)
• Steve Jobs (Walter Isaacson)
• Churchill: A Life (Martin Gilbert)
• The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity, and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary (Simon Winchester)
• A Beautiful Mind (Sylvia Nasar)
• The Black Rose (Tananarive Due)
• John Adams (David McCullough)
• Into the Wild ( Jon Krakauer )
• John Brown (W.E.B. Du Bois)
• Frida: A Biography of Frida Kahlo (Hayden Herrera)
• The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks (Rebecca Skloot)
• Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln (Doris Kearns Goodwin)
• Shirley Jackson : A Rather Haunted Life ( Ruth Franklin)
• the stranger in the Woods: The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit (Michael Finkel)

Difference Between Biography, Autobiography, and Memoir

Biography, autobiography , and memoir are the three main forms used to tell the story of a person’s life. Though there are similarities between these forms, they have distinct differences in terms of the writing, style , and purpose.

A biography is an informational narrative and account of the life history of an individual person, written by someone who is not the subject of the biography. An autobiography is the story of an individual’s life, written by that individual. In general, an autobiography is presented chronologically with a focus on key events in the person’s life. Since the writer is the subject of an autobiography, it’s written in the first person and considered more subjective than objective, like a biography. In addition, autobiographies are often written late in the person’s life to present their life experiences, challenges, achievements, viewpoints, etc., across time.

Memoir refers to a written collection of a person’s significant memories, written by that person. Memoir doesn’t generally include biographical information or chronological events unless it’s relevant to the story being presented. The purpose of memoir is reflection and an intention to share a meaningful story as a means of creating an emotional connection with the reader. Memoirs are often presented in a narrative style that is both entertaining and thought-provoking.

Examples of Biography in Literature

An important subset of biography is literary biography. A literary biography applies biographical study and form to the lives of artists and writers. This poses some complications for writers of literary biographies in that they must balance the representation of the biographical subject, the artist or writer, as well as aspects of the subject’s literary works. This balance can be difficult to achieve in terms of judicious interpretation of biographical elements within an author’s literary work and consideration of the separate spheres of the artist and their art.

Literary biographies of artists and writers are among some of the most interesting biographical works. These biographies can also be very influential for readers, not only in terms of understanding the artist or writer’s personal story but the context of their work or literature as well. Here are some examples of well-known literary biographies:

Example 1:  Savage Beauty: The Life of Edna St. Vincent Millay  (Nancy Milford)

One of the first things Vincent explained to Norma was that there was a certain freedom of language in the Village that mustn’t shock her. It wasn’t vulgar. ‘So we sat darning socks on Waverly Place and practiced the use of profanity as we stitched. Needle in, . Needle out, piss. Needle in, . Needle out, c. Until we were easy with the words.’

This passage reflects the way in which Milford is able to characterize St. Vincent Millay as a person interacting with her sister. Even avid readers of a writer’s work are often unaware of the artist’s private and personal natures, separate from their literature and art. Milford reflects the balance required on the part of a literary biographer of telling the writer’s life story without undermining or interfering with the meaning and understanding of the literature produced by the writer. Though biographical information can provide some influence and context for a writer’s literary subjects, style, and choices , there is a distinction between the fictional world created by a writer and the writer’s “real” world. However, a literary biographer can illuminate the writer’s story so that the reader of both the biography and the biographical subject’s literature finds greater meaning and significance.

Example 2:  The Invisible Woman: The Story of Nelly Ternan and Charles Dickens  (Claire Tomalin)

The season of domestic goodwill and festivity must have posed a problem to all good Victorian family men with more than one family to take care of, particularly when there were two lots of children to receive the demonstrations of paternal love.

Tomalin’s literary biography of Charles Dickens reveals the writer’s extramarital relationship with a woman named Nelly Ternan. Tomalin presents the complications that resulted for Dickens from this relationship in terms of his personal and family life as well as his professional writing and literary work. Revealing information such as an extramarital relationship can influence the way a reader may feel about the subject as a person, and in the case of literary biography it can influence the way readers feel about the subject’s literature as well. Artists and writers who are beloved , such as Charles Dickens, are often idealized by their devoted readers and society itself. However, as Tomalin’s biography of Dickens indicates, artists and writers are complicated and as subject to human failings as anyone else.

Example 3:  Virginia Woolf  (Hermione Lee)

‘A self that goes on changing is a self that goes on living’: so too with the biography of that self. And just as lives don’t stay still, so life-writing can’t be fixed and finalised. Our ideas are shifting about what can be said, our knowledge of human character is changing. The biographer has to pioneer, going ‘ahead of the rest of us, like the miner’s canary, testing the atmosphere , detecting falsity, unreality, and the presence of obsolete conventions’. So, ‘There are some stories which have to be retold by each generation’. She is talking about the story of Shelley, but she could be talking about her own life-story.

In this passage, Lee is able to demonstrate what her biographical subject, Virginia Woolf, felt about biography and a person telling their own or another person’s story. Literary biographies of well-known writers can be especially difficult to navigate in that both the author and biographical subject are writers, but completely separate and different people. As referenced in this passage by Lee, Woolf was aware of the subtleties and fluidity present in a person’s life which can be difficult to judiciously and effectively relay to a reader on the part of a biographer. In addition, Woolf offers insight into the fact that biographers must make choices in terms of what information is presented to the reader and the context in which it is offered, making them a “miner’s canary” as to how history will view and remember the biographical subject.

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Meaning of "biography" in the English dictionary

Pronunciation of biography, grammatical category of biography, what does biography mean in english.

Definition of biography in the English dictionary

The definition of biography in the dictionary is an account of a person's life by another. Other definition of biography is such accounts collectively.

WORDS THAT RHYME WITH BIOGRAPHY

Words that begin like biography, words that end like biography, synonyms and antonyms of biography in the english dictionary of synonyms, synonyms of «biography», words relating to «biography», translation of «biography» into 25 languages.

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Definition of biography – Learner’s Dictionary

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• biographical

(Definition of biography from the Cambridge Learner's Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

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the nuts and bolts

the practical facts about a particular thing, rather than theories or ideas about it

Sitting on the fence (Newspaper idioms)

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Definition of bio

 (Entry 1 of 2)

Definition of bio-  (Entry 2 of 2)

Examples of bio in a Sentence

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'bio.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

1947, in the meaning defined above

Dictionary Entries Near bio

bioabsorbable

Cite this Entry

“Bio.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary , Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bio. Accessed 2 Apr. 2024.

Kids Definition

Kids definition of bio-.

Combining form

from Greek bi-, bio- "life"

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Gucci workshop, Lungarno Guicciardini 11, Florence, 1940s | Gucci Archive

1920s & 1930s, 1940s & 1950s, 1950s & 1960s, 1970s & 1980s, 1990s & 2000s, history of gucci.

Since its founding in 1921, Gucci has transformed from a single shop opened on a side street in Florence to its position today as a world-renowned symbol of Italian craft, visionary creativity, and innovative design. Both mirroring and defining the decades that brought it forth, the House's history has itself influenced fashion and culture in indelible ways throughout the 20th and 21st centuries.

The House's founder, Guccio Gucci, was born in Florence on March 26, 1881. In his youth, he moved to London, where he began working as a porter at The Savoy hotel in 1897. Inspired by his observations of the jet set there, he returned to Florence in 1902 with the dream that one day luggage would bear his name, and, in 1921, he opened the first Gucci boutique on Via della Vigna Nuova.

Gucci represents the pinnacle of Italian artisanal excellence and its designs are unsurpassed for their quality and attention to detail. Following the House’s centenary, Gucci continues to redefine luxury while celebrating creativity and innovation through its collections of ready-to-wear, leather goods, shoes, bags , jewelry , watches , décor , and more.

Artisans in Gucci workshop, Florence, 1953 | © Archivio Foto Locchi Firenze

Gucci: a timeline.

Spanning more than a century, the history of the House reveals a vision in continuous evolution. Each decade holds a series of milestones, defining the brand's transformation from a small luggage atelier to a global leader in luxury fashion.

Gucci advertisement for luggage, 1922 | Gucci Archive

Inspired by his experience as a porter at The Savoy hotel in London, Guccio Gucci established his eponymous artisanal luggage atelier in 1921 on Via della Vigna Nuova in Florence. His vision combined exceptional Tuscan materials and craftsmanship with the elegant English aesthetic. These early years established the brand's origins in the world of travel and exploration, which have remained intrinsically linked to Gucci's heritage. The late 1930s saw the introduction of canvas into the offering to provide enhanced durability. The Diamante fabric emerged and became one of the first distinctive elements of the House with its emblematic diamond motif. This was a precursor of the GG monogram canvas still featured today on a selection of bags .

Loafer production card, 1950s | Gucci Archive

A need for creativity and resourcefulness in the 1940s led to the development of enduring House codes. Amid Italy’s post-war era when traditional raw materials were in short supply, a visionary Guccio Gucci turned to the lightweight and durable bamboo in 1947. Through innovative craft techniques, Guccio and his Florentine artisans created the Bamboo bag, the predecessor to the House’s iconic Bamboo 1947 handbag . 1953 was a pivotal year for the House, marking Gucci’s expansion outside of Italy with its first store in New York City. This was also when it introduced footwear, most notably the Horsebit 1953 loafer defined by an equestrian accoutrement that Gucci began using earlier in the decade to evoke the life and style that surrounded horseback riding. The emblem was continuously reinterpreted, with the Horsebit 1955 bag referring to the year its specific version of the hardware appeared in Gucci's collections. Back in Florence in 1953, the House purchased the historic Palazzo Settimanni as the site for its growing artisanal production in the heart of the city.

Silk scarf with Flora motif, 1960s | Gucci Archive

As Gucci continued to grow rapidly, the brand's influence spread to an international clientele of jet setters, Hollywood stars, dignitaries, and socialites. Signature products and prints emerging during this period included the predecessor to the Jackie 1961 bag , the GG monogram , and the Flora motif.

Gucci store in Florence, 1980 | © Archivio Foto Locchi Firenze

After Gucci began producing ready-to-wear in the mid-1960s, it opened its first clothing-dedicated store at 699 Fifth Avenue in New York City in 1972. The 1970s also saw the beginning of its collection presentations, frequently set at the St. Regis. In 1981, the House debuted a Flora-inspired collection at the Sala Bianca in Florence during the fashion shows at Palazzo Pitti, the predecessor to Milan Fashion Week. During this period, Gucci also grew its selection of lifestyle items with board games, tennis gear, umbrellas, dog carriers, and décor .

Gucci Archive in Palazzo Settimanni, Florence, 2021

The end of the 20th century marked the beginning of an era in which designers were called upon to bring their unique perspectives to the brand as creative directors: 1994: Tom Ford 2006: Frida Giannini 2015: Alessandro Michele 2023: Sabato De Sarno

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3M Completes Spin-off of Solventum

ST. PAUL, Minn. , April 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, 3M completed the planned spin-off of its health care business, which formally launches Solventum Corporation as an independent company. Solventum is listed on the New York Stock Exchange as SOLV.

"This is an important day for 3M and Solventum, and I extend my sincere congratulations to members of both teams who have made this possible," said Mike Roman, 3M chairman and chief executive officer. "Both companies are positioned to pursue their respective growth and tailored capital allocation plans, and I am excited to see both companies succeed as they innovate new solutions and create value for their respective stakeholders."

Holders of 3M common stock received one share of Solventum common stock for every four shares of 3M common stock held at the close of business on March 18, 2024, the record date for the distribution. For U.S. federal income tax purposes, the distribution is generally intended to be tax-free to 3M shareholders. Additional information about this distribution is available here .

3M retained 19.9% of the outstanding shares of Solventum common stock, which will be monetized within five years following the spin-off.

Forward-Looking Statements This news release contains forward-looking statements. You can identify these statements by the use of words such as "plan," "expect," "aim," "believe," "project," "target," "anticipate," "intend," "estimate," "will," "should," "could," "would," "forecast" and other words and terms of similar meaning. Among the factors that could cause actual results to differ materially are the following: (1) worldwide economic, political, regulatory, international trade, geopolitical, capital markets and other external conditions and other factors beyond the Company's control, including inflation, recession, military conflicts, natural and other disasters or climate change affecting the operations of the Company or its customers and suppliers; (2) foreign currency exchange rates and fluctuations in those rates; (3) risks related to certain fluorochemicals, including liabilities related to claims, lawsuits, and government regulatory proceedings concerning various PFAS-related products and chemistries, as well as risks related to the Company's plans to exit PFAS manufacturing and discontinue use of PFAS across its product portfolio; (4) risks related to the proposed class-action settlement to resolve claims by public water systems in the United States regarding PFAS; (5) legal proceedings, including significant developments that could occur in the legal and regulatory proceedings described in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended Dec. 31, 2023 and any subsequent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q (the "Reports"); (6) competitive conditions and customer preferences; (7) the timing and market acceptance of new product and service offerings; (8) the availability and cost of purchased components, compounds, raw materials and energy due to shortages, increased demand and wages, supply chain interruptions, or natural or other disasters; (9) unanticipated problems or delays with the phased implementation of a global enterprise resource planning (ERP) system, or security breaches and other disruptions to the Company's information technology infrastructure; (10) the impact of acquisitions, strategic alliances, divestitures, and other strategic events resulting from portfolio management actions and other evolving business strategies; (11) operational execution, including the extent to which the Company can realize the benefits of planned productivity improvements, as well as the impact of organizational restructuring activities; (12) financial market risks that may affect the Company's funding obligations under defined benefit pension and postretirement plans; (13) the Company's credit ratings and its cost of capital; (14) tax-related external conditions, including changes in tax rates, laws or regulations; (15) matters relating to the spin-off of the Company's Health Care business, including the risk that the expected benefits will not be realized; the risk that the costs or dis-synergies will exceed the anticipated amounts; potential business disruption; the diversion of management time; the impact of the transaction on the Company's ability to retain talent; potential impacts on the Company's relationships with its customers, suppliers, employees, regulators and other counterparties; the ability to realize the desired tax treatment; the risk that any consents or approvals required will not be obtained; risks under the agreements and obligations entered into in connection with the spin-off; and (16) matters relating to Combat Arms Earplugs ("CAE"), including those relating to, the August 2023 settlement that is intended to resolve, to the fullest extent possible, all litigation and alleged claims involving the CAE sold or manufactured by the Company's subsidiary Aearo Technologies and certain of its affiliates and/or 3M. Changes in such assumptions or factors could produce significantly different results. A further description of these factors is located in the Reports under "Cautionary Note Concerning Factors That May Affect Future Results" and "Risk Factors" in Part I, Items 1 and 1A (Annual Report) and in Part I, Item 2 and Part II, Item 1A (Quarterly Reports). The Company assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements discussed herein as a result of new information or future events or developments.

About 3M   3M (NYSE: MMM) believes science helps create a brighter world for everyone. By unlocking the power of people, ideas and science to reimagine what's possible, our global team uniquely addresses the opportunities and challenges of our customers, communities, and planet. Learn how we're working to improve lives and make what's next at 3M.com/news. 

3M Investor Contact:   Bruce Jermeland  (651) 733-1807  or  Diane Farrow  (612) 202-2449  or  Eric Herron  (651) 233-0043 

3M Media Contact: Sean Lynch [email protected]

SOURCE 3M Company

Released April 1, 2024

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Why do we celebrate Easter with eggs? How the Christian holy day is commemorated worldwide

How does your family celebrate easter email julia, [email protected], or tag her on instagram @juliamariegz to tell us.

The shelves of supermarkets are lined with Peeps, chocolate bunnies, plastic grass and baskets filled with goodies. Easter and the Easter Bunny are hopping into town this Sunday, and millions of people around the world are preparing to celebrate.

Easter is a Christian holiday that celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ and the wiping away of sin. Traditions and religious rituals for Easter vary among denominations and across the globe, but many Christians observe the holiday through church services and prayer.

Here are some key facts about the history of Easter and how people commemorate the day. 

Is it hard to remember when Easter is? Why does Easter change every year? Here's how the date has been historically determined.

What is the history of Easter?

Easter, which commemorates the resurrection of Jesus Christ three days after he was crucified by Romans around 30 A.D. , used to be celebrated every Sunday.

According to Timothy P. O’Malley, a faculty member at the University of Notre Dame's McGrath Institute for Church Life, early Christians didn't have an annual commemoration of Easter the way we do today.

He said Easter's roots date back to a day in the week when "Christ rose from the dead."

Therefore, he said, they celebrated every single Sunday like it was Easter.

"But by the second and third centuries, there comes to be an annual celebration of Easter," O'Malley previously told USA TODAY. He added that the celebration later grew.

What is Holy Week?

Easter marks the last day of the Holy Week, which consists of several days that each carry their own significance . These include: 

• Palm Sunday : commemorating when Jesus entered Jerusalem
• Holy Thursday : commemorating the Last Supper and washing of feet 
• Good Friday : commemorating Jesus' crucifixion and death
• Easter Sunday : commemorating the resurrection of Jesus

The Catholic Mass

Easter mass is one of the longest sessions of the Catholic mass. For some, the Easter Vigil begins after sunset on Saturday night or early Sunday morning into the sunrise of Easter. With more readings, songs and rituals, mass can be anywhere from two to three hours.

Some Christian churches, such as Catholic and Orthodox churches, also celebrate the Octave of Easter – an eight-day period that begins on Easter Sunday as "the formal celebration of the feast of Easter," O'Malley says.

Why does the date of Easter change each year?

The date of Easter hops around each year – typically between March 22 and April 25. In short, the holiday falls on the first Sunday after the full Moon on or following the spring equinox.

Western Christianity uses the Gregorian calendar. In 2024, Easter falls on March 31.

But, Orthodox Christianity calculates the date of Easter using the Julian Calendar. This year, their Easter falls on Sunday, May 5, according to Christianity.com.

How did the Easter Bunny and eggs become symbols of the holiday?

Beyond religious rituals, commercial celebrations of Easter have popularized the holiday's symbols of the eggs, chicks and, of course, the Easter Bunny.

These symbols have religious roots, experts say. In the northern hemisphere, where Easter occurs in spring, images of new life associated with the season are linked to the holiday, O’Malley says.

The bunnies, chicks and eggs are signs "new life and fertility around the spring time," O'Malley says.

According to History.com , Easter eggs are also "said to represent Jesus’ emergence from the tomb and resurrection."

The practice of dyeing eggs dates back to the ancient Middle East when people used onion skins to color them, Nadieszda Kizenko, director of religious studies at the University at Albany, previously told USA TODAY.

Eggs were also decorated because of their importance, Kizenko said. In the early days of Lent – the time period of fasting between Ash Wednesday and Easter – meat was given up, as well as dairy products.

"Being able to eat eggs once again was a really big deal. That's when people started the custom of decorating eggs," Kizenko said.

Easter celebrations vary around the world

Of course, Easter celebrations differ around the world – depending on both regional traditions as well as denominational practices across different Christian churches.

U.S. families celebrating Easter may anticipate a visit from the Easter Bunny this weekend, but young children in France , for example, are told that bells will bring them eggs.

"To be honest, I find (this tradition to be) a little less creepy than a giant bunny coming into my house to deliver candy," O'Malley joked. "The bells leave the churches and drop candy everywhere."

Kizenko also noted that a significant difference between Easter celebrations in the U.S. compared to other parts of the world is the commercialization of it, similar to Christmas.

Contributing: Jordan Mendoza, Olivia Munson, USA TODAY.

Definition of 'biography'

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