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[ bahy- og -r uh -fee , bee- ]

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.

/ baɪˈɒɡrəfɪ; ˌbaɪəˈɡræfɪkəl /

  • an account of a person's life by another
  • such accounts collectively
  • 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 .

Derived Forms

  • biˈographer , noun
  • biographical , adjective
  • ˌbioˈgraphically , adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of biography 1

Example Sentences

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."

Related Words

  • autobiography

Look up a word, learn it forever.

Other forms: biographies

A biography is an account of somebody's life written by somebody else, complete with details of the most important parts.

These days, anyone, of any age, can be the subject of a biography: Justin Bieber, at the tender age of 17, had one written about his life. A biography is not to be confused with an autobiography, an account of someone's life written by the subject himself. You'll find biographies in printed form (remember books?), but also increasingly in the form of e-books, TV dramatizations, and cinematic "bio-docs."

  • noun an account of the series of events making up a person's life synonyms: life , life history , life story see more see less examples: Parallel Lives a collection of biographies of famous pairs of Greeks and Romans written by Plutarch; used by Shakespeare in writing some of his plays types: show 4 types... hide 4 types... autobiography a biography of yourself hagiography a biography that idealizes or idolizes the person (especially a person who is a saint) profile biographical sketch memoir an account of the author's personal experiences type of: account , chronicle , history , story a record or narrative description of past events

Vocabulary lists containing biography

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Are you ready to learn the facts of life? Then review these words from the Greek root bio , meaning "life" or "way of living."

Practice this vocabulary list and explore words that contain the Greek roots graph ("write/writing") and gram ("written thing").

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bi·og·ra·phy

Bi•og•ra•phy.

- an account of the series of events making up a person's life , , , , , - a record or narrative description of past events; "a history of France"; "he gave an inaccurate account of the plot to kill the president"; "the story of exposure to lead" - a biography of yourself - a biography that idealizes or idolizes the person (especially a person who is a saint) - biographical sketch
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Definition of biography noun from the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary

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Find out which words work together and produce more natural-sounding English with the Oxford Collocations Dictionary app. Try it for free as part of the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary app.

biography definition in dictionary17500.5717600.3217700.3617800.7117901.418002.718102.818203.118304.918405.618507.918607.318707.918809.518901019001019109.3192010193012194012195012196012197012198012199012200011201011

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 September 2024.

oed.com is a living text, updated every three months. Modifications may include:

  • further revisions to definitions, pronunciation, etymology, headwords, variant spellings, quotations, and dates;
  • new senses, phrases, and quotations.

Revisions and additions of this kind were last incorporated into biography, n. in September 2024.

Earlier versions of this entry were published in:

OED First Edition (1887)

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Citation details

Factsheet for biography, n., browse entry.

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Giorgio Vasari

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Giorgio Vasari

biography , form of literature , commonly considered nonfictional, the subject of which is the life of an individual. One of the oldest forms of literary expression, it seeks to re-create in words the life of a human being—as understood from the historical or personal perspective of the author—by drawing upon all available evidence, including that retained in memory as well as written, oral, and pictorial material.

Biography is sometimes regarded as a branch of history , and earlier biographical writings—such as the 15th-century Mémoires of the French councellor of state, Philippe de Commynes , or George Cavendish’s 16th-century life of Thomas Cardinal Wolsey —have often been treated as historical material rather than as literary works in their own right. Some entries in ancient Chinese chronicles included biographical sketches; imbedded in the Roman historian Tacitus ’s Annals is the most famous biography of the emperor Tiberius ; conversely , Sir Winston Churchill ’s magnificent life of his ancestor John Churchill, first duke of Marlborough , can be read as a history (written from a special point of view) of Britain and much of Europe during the War of the Spanish Succession (1701–14). Yet there is general recognition today that history and biography are quite distinct forms of literature. History usually deals in generalizations about a period of time (for example, the Renaissance), about a group of people in time (the English colonies in North America), about an institution (monasticism during the Middle Ages). Biography more typically focuses upon a single human being and deals in the particulars of that person’s life.

Both biography and history, however, are often concerned with the past, and it is in the hunting down, evaluating, and selection of sources that they are akin. In this sense biography can be regarded as a craft rather than an art: techniques of research and general rules for testing evidence can be learned by anyone and thus need involve comparatively little of that personal commitment associated with art.

A biographer in pursuit of an individual long dead is usually hampered by a lack of sources: it is often impossible to check or verify what written evidence there is; there are no witnesses to cross-examine. No method has yet been developed by which to overcome such problems. Each life, however, presents its own opportunities as well as specific difficulties to the biographer: the ingenuity with which the biographer handles gaps in the record—by providing information, for example, about the age that casts light upon the subject—has much to do with the quality of the resulting work. James Boswell knew comparatively little about Samuel Johnson ’s earlier years; it is one of the greatnesses of his Life of Samuel Johnson LL.D. (1791) that he succeeded, without inventing matter or deceiving the reader, in giving the sense of a life progressively unfolding. Another masterpiece of reconstruction in the face of little evidence is A.J.A. Symons ’ biography of the English author and eccentric Frederick William Rolfe , The Quest for Corvo (1934). A further difficulty is the unreliability of most collections of papers, letters, and other memorabilia edited before the 20th century. Not only did editors feel free to omit and transpose materials, but sometimes the authors of documents revised their personal writings for the benefit of posterity , often falsifying the record and presenting their biographers with a difficult situation when the originals were no longer extant .

The biographer writing the life of a person recently dead is often faced with the opposite problem: an abundance of living witnesses and a plethora of materials, which include the subject’s papers and letters, sometimes transcriptions of telephone conversations and conferences, as well as the record of interviews granted to the biographer by the subject’s friends and associates. Frank Friedel, for example, in creating a biography of the U.S. president Franklin D. Roosevelt , had to wrestle with something like 40 tons of paper. But finally, when writing the life of any person, whether long or recently dead, the biographer’s chief responsibility is vigorously to test the authenticity of the collected materials by whatever rules and techniques are available. When the subject of a biography is still alive and a contributor to the work, the biographer’s task is to examine the subject’s perspective against multiple, even contradictory sources.

  • 1.1 Etymology
  • 1.2 Pronunciation
  • 1.3.1 Derived terms
  • 1.3.2 Related terms
  • 1.3.3 Translations
  • 1.5 Anagrams

From New Latin biographia , formed from Ancient Greek βίος ( bíos , “ life ” ) + γράφω ( gráphō , “ write ” ) .

Pronunciation

  • ( Received Pronunciation ) IPA ( key ) : /baɪˈɒɡɹəfi/
  • ( General American ) IPA ( key ) : /baɪˈɑɡɹəfi/
Audio ( ): ( )
  • Rhymes: -ɒɡɹəfi

biography ( countable and uncountable , plural biographies )

  • A person's life story , especially one published. There are many biographies of Benjamin Franklin.
  • The art of writing this kind of story.

Derived terms

  • antibiography
  • autobiography
  • biographette
  • biographize
  • biomythography
  • blogography
  • heterobiography
  • minibiography
  • osteobiography
  • photobiography
  • psychobiography

Related terms

  • biographical
  • biographism
  • hagiography
  • pathography

Translations

    (sīra),   (tarjamatu l-ḥayāti)   (kensagrutʻyun)   ,   (bijahráfija)     (biográfija),     (životopís)       (zhuànjì)   (bios)             ,             (biograpia)     , (old spelling)         (viografía)       (korót khayím),   (sipúr khayím),     (biyográfya)     (jīvnī),   (jīvnakthā),   (zindgīnāmā)   ,             ( , denki) (namtr)   (jeon'gi) (ömürbayan)   (sī wa pa wat)   ,           (biografija),   (životopis) , ,   (namtar), (čadig) (namtar), (čadig) (jīvanī)           (tezkere) (zendegi-nâme)           (jīvnī)         (biográfija), (rare)     (žizneopisánije)   ,     ,       ,           ,             (chii-wá-bprà-wàt)   ,       (biohráfija),   (žyttjépys) (terjimehal)     ,     (byografye)

biography ( third-person singular simple present biographies , present participle biographying , simple past and past participle biographied )

  • ( transitive ) To write a biography of.

biography definition in dictionary

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an account, usu. written, of the facts and circumstances of one person's life. ,
such written accounts collectively.
the field of biographical writing.
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'; audChoice = audChoice.replace(/ selected=["']selected["']/gm, '');var audT = document.getElementById('audT');if ((audT) && (audPref)) { //Parse the content if(audPref.indexOf(':') > -1) { var audPrefAccent = audPref.split(':')[0]; var playbackRate = audPref.split(':')[1]; } else { var audPrefAccent = audPref; var playbackRate = 1; } var re = new RegExp('( UK and possibly other pronunciationsUK and possibly other pronunciations/baɪˈɒgrəfi/US:USA pronunciation: IPA and respellingUSA pronunciation: IPA/baɪˈɑgrəfi, bi-/ ,USA pronunciation: respelling(bī og rə fē, bē-) | | | | | | |
of ' ' (n): npl: biographies
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2024
bi•og•ra•phy      n., pl.    ]Boswell wrote a famous biography of Samuel Johnson. ] such writings thought of as a group.See -graph-.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2024
bi•og•ra•phy   rə fē, bē-),USA pronunciation n., pl.    See bio-, -graphy
/baɪˈɒɡrəfɪ/ n ( pl -phies)
n /ˌbaɪəˈɡræfɪk l/, archaic adj ' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations): - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - , , , , , , ,

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What does biography mean?

Definitions for biography baɪˈɒg rə fi, bi- bi·og·ra·phy, this dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word biography ., princeton's wordnet rate this definition: 3.4 / 5 votes.

biography, life, life story, life history noun

an account of the series of events making up a person's life

Wiktionary Rate this definition: 3.3 / 3 votes

  • biography noun

A person's life story, especially one published.

There are many biographies of Benjamin Franklin.

biography verb

To write a biography of.

Etymology: From modern Latin biographia, formed from βίος + γράφω.

Samuel Johnson's Dictionary Rate this definition: 0.0 / 0 votes

Biography noun

In writing the lives of men, which is called biography, some authors place every thing in the precise order of time when it occurred. Isaac Watts Logick.

Etymology: βίος and γϱαφω.

Wikipedia Rate this definition: 0.0 / 0 votes

A biography, or simply bio, is a detailed description of a person's life. It involves more than just the basic facts like education, work, relationships, and death; it portrays a person's experience of these life events. Unlike a profile or curriculum vitae (résumé), a biography presents a subject's life story, highlighting various aspects of their life, including intimate details of experience, and may include an analysis of the subject's personality. Biographical works are usually non-fiction, but fiction can also be used to portray a person's life. One in-depth form of biographical coverage is called legacy writing. Works in diverse media, from literature to film, form the genre known as biography. An authorized biography is written with the permission, cooperation, and at times, participation of a subject or a subject's heirs. An autobiography is written by the person themselves, sometimes with the assistance of a collaborator or ghostwriter.

ChatGPT Rate this definition: 0.0 / 0 votes

A biography is a detailed account or description of a person's life, chronicling the experiences, events, achievements, and attributes of that individual. This account is generally written by someone else and includes in-depth research, including interviews with people who knew or worked with the person being profiled.

Webster Dictionary Rate this definition: 1.0 / 1 vote

the written history of a person's life

biographical writings in general

Wikidata Rate this definition: 3.0 / 9 votes

A biography is a detailed description or account of a person's life. It entails more than basic facts - a biography also portrays a subject's experience of these events. Unlike a profile or curriculum vitae, a biography presents a subject's life story, highlighting various aspects of his or her life, including intimate details of experience, and may include an analysis of the subject's personality. Biographical works are usually non-fiction, but fiction can also be used to portray a person's life. One in-depth form of biographical coverage is called legacy writing. Works in diverse media — from literature to film — form the genre known as biography. An authorized biography is written with the permission, cooperation, and at times, participation of a subject or a subject's heirs. An autobiography is written by the person themselves, sometimes with the assistance of a collaborator or ghostwriter.

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary Rate this definition: 4.5 / 2 votes

bī-og′raf-i, n. a written account or history of the life of an individual: the art of writing such accounts.— n. Biog′rapher , one who writes biography.— adjs. Biograph′ic , -al .— adv. Biograph′ically . [Gr. bios , life, graphein , to write.]

U.S. National Library of Medicine Rate this definition: 3.0 / 2 votes

Works consisting of an account of the events, works, and achievements, personal and professional, during a person's life. It includes articles on the activities and accomplishments of living persons as well as the presentation of an obituary.

British National Corpus

Nouns Frequency

Rank popularity for the word 'biography' in Nouns Frequency: #2989

Usage in printed sources From:  

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Anagrams for biography »

How to pronounce biography.

Alex US English David US English Mark US English Daniel British Libby British Mia British Karen Australian Hayley Australian Natasha Australian Veena Indian Priya Indian Neerja Indian Zira US English Oliver British Wendy British Fred US English Tessa South African

How to say biography in sign language?

Chaldean Numerology

The numerical value of biography in Chaldean Numerology is: 3

Pythagorean Numerology

The numerical value of biography in Pythagorean Numerology is: 2

Examples of biography in a Sentence

Lytton Strachey :

Discretion is not the better part of biography .

Matt Barreto :

The difference with Bush is he has access to the Mexican American experience, which is really different than the Cuban experience, rubio's biography is not unlike other immigrants, but Cubans had advantages that other immigrants don't. His experiences don't have the same resonance.

Some CEOs :

Nooyi's biography is itself evidence of the power of allowing US-educated immigrants to remain working in the country. Born and raised in India, Indra Nooyi enrolled at the Yale School of Management, became a naturalized US citizen and rose to the highest echelons of American corporate life.Some CEOs also used the dinner as an opportunity to raise their concerns with the President about the effect of his budding trade war with major US trading partners.Trump told Macron EU worse than China on trade.

Clifford Villanueva Villalon :

A biography is like a mini-series with different twists and turns, ups and downs. Others will rewrite it for you when you forget to sign on the last page.

Dan Goldman :

The web of lies George Santos used to defraud George Santos voters is a threat to our free and fair elections, and we have an obligation to ensure nothing like this ever happens again, his entire candidacy for Congress was predicated on a campaign of disinformation designed to deceive the voters. George Santos lied about George Santos entire biography and resume, including religion, family history, education, and professional experience. I am proud to join my fellow New York Congressman Ritchie Torres to introduce this critical piece of legislation to safeguard the democratic process.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

  • ^  Princeton's WordNet http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=biography
  • ^  Wiktionary https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Biography
  • ^  Samuel Johnson's Dictionary https://johnsonsdictionaryonline.com/views/search.php?term=biography
  • ^  Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biography
  • ^  ChatGPT https://chat.openai.com
  • ^  Webster Dictionary https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/biography
  • ^  Wikidata https://www.wikidata.org/w/index.php?search=biography
  • ^  Chambers 20th Century Dictionary https://www.gutenberg.org/files/37683/37683-h/37683-h.htm#:~:text=biography
  • ^  Usage in printed sources https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=biography

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Add to chrome, add to firefox, browse definitions.net, are you a words master, one of four connected cavities in the brain; is continuous with the central canal of the spinal cord and contains cerebrospinal fluid, Nearby & related entries:.

  • biographical research
  • biographically
  • biographies
  • biographist
  • biographize
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biography definition in dictionary

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Meaning of biography – Learner’s Dictionary

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  • biographical

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

Translations of biography

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a toy made from cloth and filled with a soft material so that it is pleasant to hold, often in the form of an animal

Like a bull in a china shop: talking about people who are clumsy

Like a bull in a china shop: talking about people who are clumsy

biography definition in dictionary

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VIDEO

  1. What is Biography? #biography #shorts

  2. Part 1: Hanua Hanua cultural group of Pari @MangiHB

  3. Biogeography Meaning

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  5. चुप रहने की ताक़त

  6. What a Graphic Biography Is and How to Read It

COMMENTS

  1. Biography Definition & Meaning

    The meaning of BIOGRAPHY is a usually written history of a person's life. How to use biography in a sentence. So You've Been Asked to Submit a Biography

  2. BIOGRAPHY Definition & Meaning

    Biography definition: a written account of another person's life. See examples of BIOGRAPHY used in a sentence.

  3. BIOGRAPHY

    BIOGRAPHY definition: 1. the life story of a person written by someone else: 2. the life story of a person written by…. Learn more.

  4. BIOGRAPHY

    BIOGRAPHY meaning: 1. the life story of a person written by someone else: 2. the life story of a person written by…. Learn more.

  5. Biography

    A biography is an account of somebody's life written by somebody else, complete with details of the most important parts.

  6. biography noun

    Definition of biography noun in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more.

  7. BIOGRAPHY definition and meaning

    2 meanings: 1. an account of a person's life by another 2. such accounts collectively.... Click for more definitions.

  8. Biography

    Define biography. biography synonyms, biography pronunciation, biography translation, English dictionary definition of biography. n. pl. bi·og·ra·phies 1. An account of a person's life written, composed, or produced by another: a film biography of Adlai Stevenson; an oral biography.

  9. BIOGRAPHY

    BIOGRAPHY meaning: 1. the story of a person's life written by another person 2. about someone's life: . Learn more.

  10. biography noun

    biography noun - Definition, pictures, pronunciation and ...

  11. Biography Definition & Meaning

    Biography definition: An account of a person's life written, composed, or produced by another.

  12. biography, n. meanings, etymology and more

    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. See etymology.

  13. biography

    biography | meaning of biography in Longman Dictionary of Contemporary ... ... biography

  14. Biography Definition & Meaning

    biography (noun) biography /baɪ ˈ ɑːgrəfi/ noun. plural biographies. Britannica Dictionary definition of BIOGRAPHY. [count] : the story of a real person's life written by someone other than that person. a new biography of Abraham Lincoln. — compare autobiography.

  15. Biography

    Biography | Definition & Examples

  16. biography

    biography - Wiktionary, the free dictionary ... biography

  17. Definition of BIOGRAPHY

    biographies. definition 1: an account, usu. written, of the facts and circumstances of one person's life. similar words: life, memoir. definition 2: such written accounts collectively. definition 3: the field of biographical writing.

  18. biography

    biography - WordReference English dictionary, questions, discussion and forums. All Free. ... 'biography' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):-graphy - Bancroft Prize - Christine de Pisan - D.N.B. - Froude - Johnson - Life of Samuel Johnson, ...

  19. Biographical Dictionary

    Browse notable people of the past and present from Hank AARON to Vladimir ZWORYKIN.

  20. BIOGRAPHY definition in American English

    BIOGRAPHY definition in American English

  21. biography

    Definition of biography. Best online English dictionaries for children, with kid-friendly definitions, integrated thesaurus for kids, images, and animations. ... Dictionary Suite Elementary dictionary: Intermediate dictionary : Intermediate Dictionary. See entry in Elementary Dictionary : More results.

  22. What does biography mean?

    Definition of biography in the Definitions.net dictionary. Meaning of biography. What does biography mean? ... Samuel Johnson's Dictionary Rate this definition: 0.0 / 0 votes. Biography noun. In writing the lives of men, which is called biography, some authors place every thing in the precise order of time when it occurred. Isaac Watts Logick.

  23. Meaning of biography

    BIOGRAPHY definition: 1. the story of a person's life written by another person 2. about someone's life: . Learn more.