Films or television programs that provide factual accounts of real events, people, or issues, typically for educational or informational purposes. Distinguished from fiction by their commitment to portraying reality.
From 'documentary,' coined in the 1920s by film pioneer John Grierson, combining 'document' (from Latin 'documentum' meaning lesson or proof) with the '-ary' suffix. The concept emerged as filmmakers sought to distinguish fact-based films from entertainment cinema.
The word 'documentary' was actually coined by a film critic trying to describe a new type of serious, educational cinema emerging in the 1920s. Ironically, modern documentaries often blur the line between objective documentation and artistic interpretation, challenging the very notion of 'documenting' reality that gave the genre its name.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.