German word

Biografie

Pronunciation

IPA/bi̯ogʁaˈfiː/

Meaning

  • feminine nounbiography

Example

Sie liest viele Biografien über berühmte Künstler.

She reads many biographies of famous artists.

Illustration for Biografie (biography)

More examples

In der Biografie erfährt man viele Details über das Leben des Künstlers.

In the biography, you learn many details about the artist's life.

Core concept

A person's life unfolds through dated stages, decisions, relationships, and achievements recorded in one connected account.

Common phrases

  • eine Biografie lesen

    read a biography

  • aus der Biografie erfahren

    learn from the biography

  • eine Biografie als Quelle nutzen

    use a biography as a source

Similar words

Autobiografie: A personal record of the writer's own life and experiences.
Memoiren: A recollection focused on notable events, memories, and personal reflections.
Lebensgeschichte: A life story describing a person's background, experiences, and overall development.
Lebenslauf: A brief chronological summary of academic and professional history.

Definition in German

Eine schriftliche Darstellung des Lebens einer Person, meist von einer anderen Person verfasst und chronologisch gegliedert.

Word origin

Biografie comes through French biographie from Latin biographia, combining Greek bios, 'life', with graphein, 'to write'.

Usage tips

  • Biografie usually means an account written by someone else, while an account of the writer's own life is an Autobiografie.

Opposites

  • Fiktionfictionnoun

Related words

Word lists with this word