semi-autobiographical

adjective

semi-au·​to·​bio·​graph·​i·​cal ˌse-mē-ˌȯ-tə-ˌbī-ə-ˈgra-fi-kəl 

ˌse-ˌmī-,

-mi-

variants or less commonly semiautobiographical

: partly autobiography and partly fiction : being a fictionalized account of the author's life

a semi-autobiographical novel/film

… James Herriott's semiautobiographical story of his return from WWII to family and friends.

—TV Guide

The play is a convincing picture of a brief but powerful relationship, based on Owen's copious letters and the semi-autobiographical account of Sassoon's George Sherston.

—Simon Berry

Pedro Almodóvar's most recent drama is one of his most personal: a semi-autobiographical study of an aging, isolated filmmaker who reconnects with an estranged colleague … and starts reassessing his own life.

—Norman Wilner

In this semiautobiographical take on her own life, [Pamela] Adlon plays "Sam," a working actress and single parent in Los Angeles.

—Kit Steinkellner

also : of, relating to, or in the style of a semi-autobiographical work

a semi-autobiographical protagonist/character/role

Through semiautobiographical storytelling, Jenna Dawn Maclellan's project will address the challenges of daily life in the North …

—The Sudbury Star

The acclaimed artist … is known for the semi-autobiographical nature of his work, which riffs on his own youth in the Vancouver suburb of Port Coquitlam.

—Guy Dixon

Is this all meant to be a semi-autobiographical comment on what fame does to relationships, since [Darren] Aronofsky and [Jennifer] Lawrence are an item in real life?

—Ryan Lambie

Examples of semi-autobiographical in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

This sardonic, semi-autobiographical novel is sure to delight fans of Elif Batuman’s The Idiot. —Shannon Carlin, TIME, 27 June 2024

Richard Gadd’s account of stalking and abuse spares no one, least of all his semi-autobiographical stand-in. —Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 June 2024

Ali is the main character in the show, which is a semi-autobiographical look at music icon Alicia Keys' life. —Lindsay Kimble, Peoplemag, 17 June 2024

The show is semi-autobiographical and tells the story of Key’s childhood in Manhattan during the 1990s. —Armando Tinoco, Deadline, 16 June 2024

Based on the semi-autobiographical novel by Paulo Lins, who grew up in Rio de Janeiro’s Cidade de Deus favela, the film follows two men who take very different paths: one documenting the crime with his camera, the other rising to become a drug lord. —John Ortved, Vogue, 14 June 2024

But the semi-autobiographical This Strange Eventful History, her seventh book of fiction now out this week, takes almost none of its cues from the language that exists on our screens. —Emma Alpern, Vulture, 7 May 2024

At the center of the semi-autobiographical story is still the rapidly accelerating romantic relationship between Schumer’s Beth and Michael Cera’s farmer-chef John. —Margy Rochlin, Los Angeles Times, 4 June 2024

The then-IMDb TV platform launched the semi-autobiographical series based on Serrano’s life in May 2023 to strong reviews. —Lesley Goldberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 21 May 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1858, in the meaning defined above