saga

American  

[sah-guh] / ˈsɑ gə /

noun

• sagas
  plural

1. a medieval Icelandic or Norse prose narrative of achievements and events in the history of a personage, family, etc.

2. any narrative or legend of heroic exploits.

   Synonyms:

   history, tale, epic

3. Also called saga novel.  a form of the novel in which the members or generations of a family or social group are chronicled in a long and leisurely narrative.

4. a dramatic history of a group, place, industry, etc..

   the saga of the transcontinental railroad.

5. any very long story with dramatic events or parts.

   the sad saga of her life in poverty.

---

saga British  

/ ˈsɑːɡə /

noun

1. any of several medieval prose narratives written in Iceland and recounting the exploits of a hero or a family

2. any similar heroic narrative

3. Also called: saga novel.  a series of novels about several generations or members of a family

4. any other artistic production said to resemble a saga

5. informal a series of events or a story stretching over a long period

---

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• sagas
  plural

Etymology

Origin of saga

First recorded in 1700–10; from Old Norse: literally, “story, narrative, history”; cognate with saw ³

Explanation

When your friend tells you every detail of how she tripped over a rock, broke her ankle, and then got into a car accident on the way to the hospital, she is sharing a long, involved story known as a saga. The word saga has its origins in the Middle Ages. In those days, a saga was an historical tale of the first families who lived in Norway or Iceland. Today the word is used to describe a very complicated or detailed series of events. A saga is the kind of long, drawn-out story that can cause the people who hear it to roll their eyes in boredom.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

saga sagas

After initial disapointment from within the Southampton dressing room, the whole saga appears to have lit a fire inside those Saints players who missed out on playing in last season's play-off final.

From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026

It’s named after the Skywalker family, which is central to Lucas’ “Star Wars” saga.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026

The Miller-Moreno saga is a textbook example of how this promise of patriarchal protection is a myth.

From Slate ● Aug. 3, 2026

In essence, Nolan chose a superstar cast to drive home the interpretation of Homer’s saga as a legend about fame.

From Salon ● Aug. 2, 2026

But Isaac’s Yorktown saga did not end there.

From "In the Shadow of Liberty" by Kenneth C. Davis

Whether in the films beloved by the Wu-Tang or the animated sagas Megan favors, characters battle not simply for survival but to achieve mastery.

From Salon ● May 31, 2026

Blanchet argued that today's resurgence in beloved pop-culture sagas is part of the "routine functioning" of the industry, rather than representing any kind of "renewal".

From Barron's ● May 26, 2026

That being said, Jacir’s fourth feature — packed as it is with storylines — could stand a bit more context and fewer of the expositional traps that big-cast sagas easily fall into.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 27, 2026

The description of her books as "Aga sagas" caught on, despite only two of Trollope's novels actually featuring an Aga.

From BBC ● Dec. 12, 2025

Ever since then, we know that those people who can make magic with their words, who can make poems and sagas and weave tales, have tasted the mead of poetry.

From "Norse Mythology" by Neil Gaiman