ENGLISH
REFERENCE

biopic

n. countable
B2 Upper Intermediate US //ˈbaɪoʊˌpɪk// UK //bˌaɪəʊpˈɪk// biopic
Definition

n. a movie that tells the true story of a real person's life. It is a mix of the words 'biography' and 'picture'.

n. a biographical motion picture depicting the life of a specific historical or contemporary figure. A portmanteau of 'biography' and 'picture'.


SIMPLE

The new biopic about the famous singer is very popular.

CONTEXTUAL

The actor spent months studying old footage to prepare for his role in the upcoming biopic about the scientist.

COMPLEX

While some critics praised the biopic for its visual style, others argued that it took too many creative liberties with the historical facts of the subject's life.

Origin

Clipping of biographical picture; synchronically bio + pic.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Word family
  • Nounbiopic
  • Nounpic

Last updated May 11, 2026