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 In Pope Francis’s first autobiography, which publishes March 19, the first Latin American pontiff offers an up-to-the-minute take on his life and papacy. Stefano Pitrelli, Washington Post, 14 Mar. 2024 He was placed in an iron lung, a large metal cylinder that varies air pressure to stimulate breathing, according to his autobiography. Mira Cheng, CNN, 13 Mar. 2024 Her autobiography, Iris Apfel: Accidental Icon, was published in 2018. Neda Ulaby, NPR, 2 Mar. 2024 In 1845 in Boston, Douglass published his experiences as an enslaved person in his first autobiography, which became a bestseller. Steve Leblanc, Fortune, 15 Feb. 2024 In For Khadija, an autobiography of his and his mother’s NYC journey which will be on Paramount Plus later this year, French details how external negativity inspired his solo career. Andre Gee, Rolling Stone, 26 Feb. 2024 Nicolas was born two months premature, according to Lewis’ autobiography, and was diagnosed with cerebral palsy as a toddler. Lynsey Eidell, Peoplemag, 25 Feb. 2024 These personal experiences are gathered in her 2020 autobiography, Jennifer Juniper: A Journey Beyond the Muse. Lily Moayeri, SPIN, 19 Feb. 2024 In Northampton, Truth met Olive Gilbert, who would go on to transcribe Truth’s autobiography in the late 1840s. Cynthia Greenlee, Smithsonian Magazine, 12 Feb. 2024

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

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 19 Mar. 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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