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life story

life story

53 2.1
An account of the events and experiences of a person's life
  • noun
  • /laɪf ˈstɔri/
translation icon : historia de vida
  • "I want to write your life story," I told her.
  • tell life stories
  • their own life story
  • record life stories

And it was a true life story and I just couldn't let it go.

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Examples

  • The second example comes from a life story provided by a widow I shall call Eleanor.

    Academic text (1992)
  • In the second remarkable volume of her life story, Mad in Pursuit, the war is finally over.

    Academic text (2012)
  • This is a life story worth, you know, worth reading.

  • But if they knew who I really am, If people knew my life story, like my real full life story.

  • And one of their friends had just kind of a crazy life story and he was in the middle of it.

  • Then she starts telling me her life story.

  • Every day, people with amazing life stories pass through my office.

    Fiction book (1997)
  • We can recognize the sacred text because it is present in our life stories.

    Academic text (1995)
  • And for years, I'd been looking for the ideal conditions to set my illustrious, fascinating life story to paper.

  • Mark shared his remarkable life story during the event, captivating everyone in the audience.

Synonyms

story
vslife story
1.0

An account of events told to entertain or inform

is an account focused on one person's events and experiences rather than general tales
life
vslife story
5.6

A written story about a person's events and experiences

is the general term for an account of someone's events and experiences
history
vslife story
899 1.0

An account of past events about a person or place

concentrates on one person's events and experiences rather than broad past study
narrative
vslife story
336 3.9

A story that describes connected events

is an account specifically of a person's events and experiences rather than any sequence
biography
vslife story
188 2.6

A written account of a person's life and important events

is a narrative of events and experiences without stressing authorship
memoir
vslife story
168 4.9

A true story someone writes about events from their own life

gives a full account of events and experiences rather than selective memories
autobiography
vslife story
83 3.8

A book a person writes about their own life

is an account of events and experiences about a person by anyone
backstory
vslife story
56 4.1

Past events about a person or situation that explain why they do things now

focuses on an account of a person's events and experiences not internal fictional background
life history
vslife story
4 4.0

A record of events and experiences a person or animal goes through

focuses on an account of a person's events and experiences rather than biology

How Detailed

biography
188 2.6
life story
53 2.1
profile
  • Literature
243 3.4
summary
3.3

Surface Forms

life story singular
life stories plural

Morphology

life + story

The meaning 'an account of a person's life' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'life' (a person's existence or experiences) with 'story' (a narrative of events). This noun+noun compound follows a common, cross-linguistic pattern and would be immediately comprehensible to a B1 learner who knows both constituent words.

Etymology

Life story paints a picture of your life written down like a book or a long story about your days, so you can imagine the events in order. That's why a life story means 'an account' of the important things that happened to a person.