scenario

American  

[si-nair-ee-oh, -nahr-] / sɪˈnɛər iˌoʊ, -ˈnɑr- /

noun

• scenarios
  plural

1. an outline of the plot of a dramatic work, giving particulars as to the scenes, characters, situations, etc.

2. the outline or the manuscript of a motion picture or television program, giving the action in the order in which it takes place, the description of scenes and characters, etc.

3. an imagined or projected sequence of events, especially any of several detailed plans or possibilities.

   One scenario calls for doubling profits by increasing our advertising, the other by reducing costs.

   Synonyms:

   sketch, concept, plan, scheme

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scenario British  

/ sɪˈnɑːrɪˌəʊ, sɪˈnɑː- /

noun

1. a summary of the plot of a play, etc, including information about its characters, scenes, etc

2. a predicted sequence of events

   let's try another scenario, involving the demise of democracy

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• scenarist
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• scenarios
  plural

Etymology

Origin of scenario

First recorded in 1875–80; from Italian, from Latin scaenārium, scēnārium, noun use of scaenārius, scēnārius “belonging to the stage, theatrical,” from scaen(a), scēn(a) “background, stage, theater” ( see scene) + -ārius -ary

Explanation

A scenario is a specific possibility. To plan on playing with a bunch of bear cubs is a scenario — a dumb one, but still a scenario. When people are wondering what to do, they think of different scenarios. Moving to a big city is one scenario — moving to a tiny town is another. A football team has to plan for many scenarios, like the starting quarterback being injured. The government plans for hundreds of scenarios, such as natural disasters and attacks by terrorists. In literature, a scenario can mean a summing up of what's going on — what the situation is. A scenario is pretty similar to a situation, but a scenario hasn't happened yet and might not happen at all.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

scenario scenarios

In that scenario, "one extreme could be the destruction of humanity," he warned.

From Barron's ● Sep. 16, 2026

In that scenario, exports would be 26.9% lower and gross domestic product down 6.9%, with the poorest countries suffering the largest losses.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026

Under such a scenario, he anticipates that longer-dated Treasury yields would probably climb, weighing on the stock market, while the “debasement trade” could be reignited.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 15, 2026

The more likely scenario is that the VAR audio would only be played live when a referee is at the pitchside monitor.

From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2026

On my way home from Fang’s that night, I thought about why I’d stuck Stan in the middle of my man-versus-van scenario.

From "Anthem of a Reluctant Prophet" by Joanne Proulx

With the data, Vanguard mapped out four different scenarios for a “typical” retiree, with the example of somebody who had $360,000 when they started retirement.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 15, 2026

Tarlov games out numerous scenarios with recommendations on how to deploy statistics and when to lighten up.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 14, 2026

AI researchers, experts and bosses worried about the technology's potential to endanger humanity have outlined unsettling scenarios.

From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2026

The team lays out several scenarios, varying by the speed of adoption, the degree to which AI drives productivity, and whether it supports or replaces workers.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026

Gabriel and I used to play this game we liked to call What If? where the object was to take turns creating the most absurd “what if?” scenarios.

From "Where Things Come Back" by John Corey Whaley

Related Words

• plot
• scheme