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

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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

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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

It’s a familiar scenario: A civil servant gets laid off and moves back in with family, far from Washington, D.C.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 2, 2026

Lose the first game at Hampden and the nightmare scenario of finishing bottom - and suffering relegation to League C - is also still a possibility.

From BBC ● Nov. 2, 2026

Something that is often overlooked: The surviving spouse may not have the same financial knowledge as the one who died, so planning for that scenario should also be a focus.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 2, 2026

“We feel like we are also failures because we could have probably done something which would avoid this kind of scenario, but we don’t know what.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 1, 2026

Each of the don’ts corresponds to a way in which a writer can stray from this scenario.

From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker

“He would run two, three, four different scenarios by me, and I would put the kibosh on him until we finally said, ‘Yes, this one,’ ” Payne said in a 2023 interview.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 31, 2026

“You just have to make that leap of faith to feel you can cover the worst-case scenarios and still be able to share what you have now.”

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 31, 2026

State officials of both parties have prepared for extreme scenarios, drafting legal briefs and some running simulations for potential arrests.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026

As ever in such scenarios, the pitch will play its part.

From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2026

In his mind, he repeated scenarios of telling his father he was going to stay.

From "Healer of the Water Monster" by Brian Young

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Related Words

• plot
• scheme

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