A documentary is a television or radio programme, or a film, which shows real events or provides information about a particular subject.
...a TV documentary on homelessness.
Synonyms: report, film, programme, account More Synonyms of documentary
2. adjective [ADJECTIVE noun]
Documentary evidence consists of things that are written down.
We have documentary evidence that they were planning military action.
Synonyms: documented, recorded, registered, archived More Synonyms of documentary
documentary in British English
(ˌdɒkjʊˈmɛntərɪ, -trɪ)
adjective
1. Also: documental
consisting of, derived from, or relating to documents
2.
presenting factual material with little or no fictional additions
the book gives a documentary account of the war
nounWord forms: plural-ries
3.
a factual film or television programme about an event, person, etc, presenting the facts with little or no fiction
Derived forms
documentarily (ˌdocuˈmentarily)
adverb
documentary in American English
(ˌdɑkjuˈmɛntəri; ˌdɑkjəˈmɛntəri)
adjective
1.
consisting of, supported by, contained in, or serving as a document or documents
2.
designating or of a film, TV program, etc. that dramatically shows or analyzes news events, social conditions, etc., with little or no fictionalization
nounWord forms: pluralˌdocuˈmentaries
3.
a documentary film, TV show, etc.
Examples of 'documentary' in a sentence
documentary
Money from the show will fund a documentary about bears.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
The antiques industry wants the proof to be authentication by an expert rather than documentary evidence.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
New evidence in this documentary suggests there were warnings after all.
The Sun (2016)
The military bootcamp is now such a familiar subject of documentaries and films that it has become its own entertainment genre.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
This riveting two-part documentary follows her painstaking investigation.
The Sun (2016)
Because few people who make documentaries have a comparable rigour, imagination or dedication to those of the people who make fashion.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
I'd love to make a documentary!
The Sun (2017)
This fly-on-the-wall documentary series follows London paramedics working on the frontline.
The Sun (2016)
I get terribly upset with people born 20 years after the war who make documentaries saying how it nearly went wrong.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
The present section provides a documentary account of this aspect.
Forstner, Helmut, Ballance, Robert Competing in a Global Economy (1990)
This documentary examines the evidence to determine what happened to the jet.
The Sun (2015)
Books and documentaries portrayed him as the victim of a miscarriage of justice.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
Radio documentaries lie between reporting and pure imagination.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
This week brings two documentaries with overlapping subjects.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
The ideal programme to schedule before a documentary about war crimes?
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
He regularly fronted current affairs programmes and documentaries.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
There is documentary evidence that enemy boarders must have boarded the ship.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
His career began to take off as a composer of radio and documentary films.
Paul Preston DOVES OF WAR: Four Women of Spain (2002)
These treatments are the subject of the documentary.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
Please show it again to see how war documentaries should be made.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
The chapter concludes with some documentary evidence on the relationship between factor abundance and the commodity structure of net trade.
Forstner, Helmut, Ballance, Robert Competing in a Global Economy (1990)
This book is the documentary proof.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
It is not a documentary programme.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
This documentary was about men who worship women's muscles!
The Sun (2007)
They don't make documentaries like this any more.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
The question hung unanswered: why make a documentary about a documentary strand?
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
If this was a documentary about fame, it was also one about mental illness.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
He went from being a radio documentary maker into management, then an unusual career move.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
This documentary follows the phenomena, as all manner of thirsty animals flock to the reborn area for a drink.
The Sun (2012)
She featured in documentary films.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
One particular incident I saw in a documentary film always springs to mind.
Jan Fennell, Foreword by Monty Roberts THE DOG LISTENER: Learning the Language of your Best Friend (2002)
Few people still make documentaries as they do, devoting years to reconstructing great historical moments in painstaking detail, talking to all the people involved.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
In other languages
documentary
British English: documentary /ˌdɒkjʊˈmɛntərɪ; -trɪ/ NOUN
A documentary is a radio or television programme or a film which provides factual information about a particular subject.
...a TV documentary on homelessness.
American English: documentary
Arabic: فِيلْمٌ وَثائِقِيّ
Brazilian Portuguese: documentário
Chinese: 纪录片
Croatian: dokumentarac
Czech: dokumentární film
Danish: dokumentarprogram
Dutch: documentaire
European Spanish: documental
Finnish: dokumentti
French: documentaire
German: Dokumentarfilm
Greek: ντοκιμαντέρ
Italian: documentario
Japanese: ドキュメンタリー
Korean: 다큐멘터리
Norwegian: dokumentarfilm
Polish: film dokumentalny
European Portuguese: documentário
Romanian: documentar
Russian: документальная программа
Latin American Spanish: documental
Swedish: dokumentärfilm
Thai: สารคดี
Turkish: belgesel
Ukrainian: документальний фільм
Vietnamese: phim tài liệu
British English: documentary ADJECTIVE
Documentary evidence consists of things that are written down.
We have documentary evidence that they were planning military action.
American English: documentary
Brazilian Portuguese: documental
Chinese: 证据书面的
European Spanish: documental
French: documentaire
German: dokumentarisch
Italian: scritto
Japanese: 記録された
Korean: 증거 서류
European Portuguese: documental
Latin American Spanish: documental
Chinese translation of 'documentary'
documentary
(dɔkjuˈmɛntərɪ)
n(c)
纪(紀)录(錄)片 (jìlùpiàn) (部, bù)
adj
[evidence]书(書)面的 (shūmiàn de)
(noun)
Definition
a film or television programme presenting the facts about a particular subject
a TV documentary on homelessness
Synonyms
report
a full report of what happened here tonight
film
programme
a series of TV programmes on global warming
account
I gave a detailed account of what had happened that night.
broadcast
a broadcast on the national radio
presentation
(adjective)
Definition
of or based on documents
The government says it has documentary evidence.
Synonyms
documented
recorded
registered
archived
chronicled
Additional synonyms
in the sense of account
Definition
a report or description
I gave a detailed account of what had happened that night.
Synonyms
description,
report,
record,
story,
history,
detail,
statement,
relation,
version,
tale,
explanation,
narrative,
chronicle,
portrayal,
recital,
depiction,
narration
in the sense of broadcast
Definition
a transmission or programme on radio or television