Word
biographer
Phoneticsbi·og·ra·pher
US/baɪˈɑɡɹəfɝ/
UK/baɪˈɒɡɹəfɐ/
Definition
n. a person who writes a book about someone else's life. They research the person's history and tell their story to the public.
n. a writer who composes a detailed account of another person's life. Typically involves extensive archival research and interviews to reconstruct a historical or contemporary narrative.
Examples
“The biographer spent years researching the president's early life.”
“After the famous singer died, her official biographer interviewed her family to ensure the book was accurate.”
“A skilled biographer must balance objective historical facts with a narrative that captures the subject's internal motivations and the cultural spirit of their era.”
Examples
simple
“The biographer spent years researching the president's early life.”
contextual
“After the famous singer died, her official biographer interviewed her family to ensure the book was accurate.”
complex
“A skilled biographer must balance objective historical facts with a narrative that captures the subject's internal motivations and the cultural spirit of their era.”
Usage
Often paired with 'official' or 'unauthorised' to indicate whether the subject or their estate approved the work.
Real-World Examples
“Spanish football expert – and Messi biographer – Guillem Balague said: "Leo goes really down when he loses.” “As much as his book is about snow leopards, it also asks us to consider their biographers: who is it who gets to tell the story of the nonhuman lives around us?” Etymology
From biography + -er.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/biographer