documentary

1 of 2

adjective

doc·​u·​men·​ta·​ry ˌdä-kyə-ˈmen-tə-rē How to pronounce documentary (audio)
-ˈmen-trē,
-kyü-
1
: being or consisting of documents : contained or certified in writing
documentary evidence
2
: of, relating to, or employing documentation (see documentation sense 2) in literature or art
broadly : factual, objective
a documentary film of the war
documentarily adverb

documentary

2 of 2

noun

plural documentaries
: a presentation (such as a film or novel) expressing or dealing with factual events : a documentary presentation

Examples of documentary in a Sentence

Adjective You must present documentary proof of your residence. a documentary film about the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor Noun We watched a documentary on the early history of jazz.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Adjective
But Matheson pointed out that there was a lack of documentary evidence that that was the rationale for the purchase. Ted Johnson, Deadline, 15 Apr. 2025 The legislation would require people to show documentary proof of U.S. citizenship, such as a passport or a birth certificate, when registering to vote. Nicole Fallert, USA Today, 11 Apr. 2025
Noun
Three decades later, the documentary Oklahoma City Bombing: American Terror looks back on that day, featuring interviews with law enforcement involved in the case and victims of the attack. Olivia B. Waxman, Time, 18 Apr. 2025 Whether a film is a documentary or a fictional drama, all modern cinema is in a sense docu-fictional, because most viewers know that a documentary is carefully crafted to yield a narrative and that the making of a fictional film is often as good a story as the one in the script. Richard Brody, New Yorker, 18 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for documentary

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

see document entry 1

Noun

see document entry 1

First Known Use

Adjective

1802, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1935, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of documentary was in 1802

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Documentary.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/documentary. Accessed 21 Apr. 2025.

Kids Definition

documentary

1 of 2 adjective
doc·​u·​men·​ta·​ry ˌdäk-yə-ˈment-ə-rē How to pronounce documentary (audio)
-ˈmen-trē
1
: consisting of documents
also : being in writing
documentary proof
2
: presenting actual events or facts about something
a documentary film
documentarily adverb

documentary

2 of 2 noun
plural documentaries
: a documentary presentation (as a film or novel)

Legal Definition

documentary

adjective
doc·​u·​men·​ta·​ry ˌdä-kyə-ˈmen-tə-rē How to pronounce documentary (audio)
: being, consisting of, or contained in documents
documentary evidence

More from Merriam-Webster on documentary

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