documentary

B1 Topic:Film & Television

US /ˌdɑ.kjəˈmɛn.tə.ɹi/ UK /ˌdɒk.jʊˈmɛn.tɹi/ See IPA manual

Freq #6694

Meanings

1

noun
A film or TV programme that gives facts about a real subject or event.

We watched a documentary about climate change last night.
2

adj
Presenting real facts about a subject rather than fiction.

The director is famous for her powerful documentary films.
3

adj
Based on or consisting of documents.

Historians rely on documentary evidence such as letters and records.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a film or tv programme that... docudrama

2 adj · presenting real facts about... objective

3 adj · based on or consisting of... documental

Opposites

fiction

Word family

Forms documentaries

Derived forms antidocumentarydocodocucomedydocudramadocufantasydocufictiondocufilmdocumediadocumemoirdocumentariandocumentarilydocumentariness

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

documentary film
a non-fiction film recording real events or subjects

Adjective + noun

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *deḱ-der. Proto-Italic *dokeō Latin doceō Proto-Indo-European *-mn̥ Proto-Indo-European *-mn̥tom Proto-Italic *-məntom Latin -mentum Latin documentumbor. French document Proto-Indo-European *-yósder. Proto-Italic *-āzios Latin -āriusder. French -aire French documentairebor. English documentary From French adjective and (hence) noun documentaire, from document, from Latin documentum. Equivalent to document + -ary.

documentum Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Film & Television General Vocabulary

External links

# documentary

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B1
**Part of speech:** noun, adj
**IPA (US):** /ˌdɑ.kjəˈmɛn.tə.ɹi/
**IPA (UK):** /ˌdɒk.jʊˈmɛn.tɹi/
**Frequency rank:** 6694

## Meanings
1. A film or TV programme that gives facts about a real subject or event.
2. Presenting real facts about a subject rather than fiction.
3. Based on or consisting of documents.

## Examples
- We watched a documentary about climate change last night.
- The director is famous for her powerful documentary films.
- Historians rely on documentary evidence such as letters and records.

## Antonyms
- fiction

## Derived Forms
- antidocumentary
- doco
- docucomedy
- docudrama
- docufantasy
- docufiction
- docufilm
- documedia
- documemoir
- documentarian
- documentarily
- documentariness

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: documentum

## Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *deḱ-der. Proto-Italic *dokeō Latin doceō Proto-Indo-European *-mn̥ Proto-Indo-European *-mn̥tom Proto-Italic *-məntom Latin -mentum Latin documentumbor. French document Proto-Indo-European *-yósder. Proto-Italic *-āzios Latin -āriusder. French -aire French documentairebor. English documentary From French adjective and (hence) noun documentaire, from document, from Latin documentum. Equivalent to document + -ary.

## AI Etymology
Documentary comes from French adjective and (hence) noun documentaire, from document, from Latin documentum. Equivalent to document + -ary. In current use, the main senses are “A film or TV programme that gives facts about a real subject or event” and “Presenting real facts about a subject rather than fiction”.

## Topics
- Film & Television
- General Vocabulary

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