Know what is an autobiography and how it differs to biography definition and memoir meaning
With children, especially little ones, you get used to second guessing the words they come out with.
For example, one cracker my daughter used to say was “it’s ice cubing” when it hailed.
Meanwhile, my son called kangaroos near our house “bop bobs”, after the way they jumped.
Indeed other words easily become interchangeable with proper versions.
And this can also be the case for how we define autobiography definition, biography definition and memoir definition.
So today I’m going to clear up the confusion with correct meanings …
Related article – How to write an autobiography in four simple steps
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Autobiography definition
The Macquarie Dictionary online is my go-to for all things editing.
So naturally I’ll start with its autobiography definition:
autobiography:
“noun (plural autobiographies)
an account of a person’s life written by himself or herself.”
Certainly this is a brief but oh-so-sweet definition.
However, some would also say an autobiography account starts from birth and continues to the present.
In short, this is my favourite term to describe this website – hence the name Forever Young Autobiographies.
But I also find it the most accurate word for what most people consider their life story, story of my life or personal history.
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What is the difference between an autobiography and a biography?
We are often asked to write a short biography about ourselves for school, work or online sites.
And it is supposed to sum up our life plus highlight important facts and interests.
However, the biography definition from the Macquarie is:
biography:
“noun (plural biographies)
1. a written account of a person’s life.
2. such writings collectively.
3. the study of the lives of individuals.
4. the art of writing a biography.”
Most importantly the distinction between the autobiography definition and the biography definition is the person who does the writing.
To clarify, for an autobiography this is the subject of the writing, while for a biography it is someone other than the subject.
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Memoir definition
Certainly the word memoir means different things to different people.
However, the Macquarie memoir definition is:
memoir:
“noun 1. (plural) records of facts or events in connection with a particular subject, historical period, etc., as known to the writer or gathered from special sources.
2. (plural) records of one’s own life and experiences.
3. → biography.
4. (plural) a collection of reports made to a scientific or other learned society.”
Now the plot thickens! So according to this definition, a memoir is similar to an autobiography definition in that the subject is also the writer.
But the distinction is the focus of a memoir is more defined and restricted to say a time period or specific slice of life.
For example, some common memoir topics include: war service years, early career, childhood antics or travel adventures.
That is to say, this type of writing is for when you don’t want to include everything about a life but desire to shine a spotlight on only one part.
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Final say
When we drill down into the autobiography definition it is clear this is what most people mean when they say “I want to write my life story”.
For example, they want to record details, events, feelings, wisdom, struggles and joy from all periods of a life, plus perhaps background about parents and grandparents.
However, a memoir focuses on one facet or time of a full life.
And a biography is usually a life account written by another person.
Certainly, these words get interchanged willy-nilly in common talk.
Indeed it’s a bit like having a chat with my kids!
Happy writing!
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First published November 1, 2018: This article has been updated and improved.
