narrative

[ nar-uh-tiv ]
See synonyms for: narrativenarratives on Thesaurus.com

noun
  1. a story or account of events, experiences, or the like, whether true or fictitious.

  2. a book, literary work, etc., containing such a story.

  1. the art, technique, or process of narrating, or of telling a story: Somerset Maugham was a master of narrative.

  2. a story that connects and explains a carefully selected set of supposedly true events, experiences, or the like, intended to support a particular viewpoint or thesis: to rewrite the prevailing narrative about masculinity; the narrative that our public schools are failing.

adjective
  1. consisting of or being a narrative: a narrative poem.

  2. of or relating to narration, or the telling of a story: My English teacher's narrative skill makes characters seem to come to life.

  1. Fine Arts. representing stories or events pictorially or sculpturally: narrative painting.: Compare anecdotal (def. 2).

Origin of narrative

1
First recorded in 1445–55; from Middle French narratif (adjective and noun), from Late Latin narrātīvus “narration” (noun), “suitable for narration” (adjective), from narrāt(us) “related, told” (past participle of narrāre “to relate, tell, say”) + -īvus, adjective suffix; equivalent to narrate + -ive

synonym study For narrative

1. Narrative, account, recital, history are terms for a story of an event or events. Narrative is the general term (for a story long or short; of past, present, or future; factual or imagined; told for any purpose; and with or without much detail). The other three terms apply primarily to factual stories of time already past. An account is usually told informally, often for entertainment, with emphasis on details of action, whether about an incident or a series of happenings. A recital is an extended narrative usually with an informative purpose, emphasizing accuracy and exhaustive details of facts and figures. A history, usually written and at some length, is characterized by a tracing of causes and effects, and by an attempt to estimate, evaluate, and interpret facts.

Other words for narrative

Other words from narrative

  • nar·ra·tive·ly, adverb
  • non·nar·ra·tive, adjective, noun
  • sem·i·nar·ra·tive, adjective

Words Nearby narrative

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use narrative in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for narrative

narrative

/ (ˈnærətɪv) /


noun
  1. an account, report, or story, as of events, experiences, etc

  2. the narrative the part of a literary work that relates events

  1. the process or technique of narrating

adjective
  1. telling a story: a narrative poem

  2. of or relating to narration: narrative art

Derived forms of narrative

  • narratively, adverb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012