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.

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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

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• sagas
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of saga

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

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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

The three main players in this saga are Disney, Netflix, and Skydance Corporation.

From Slate ● Oct. 16, 2026

The saga finally concluded last December after five seasons, and there's been interest in what the show's cast will do next.

From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026

Their voices are notably, strangely absent from your retelling of this family saga.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 6, 2026

The question of what’s real and not isn’t only Béatrice’s to unpack — you may wonder yourself whether Auen and Walker have fabricated their esoteric source materials and invented the strange saga of Ernetti.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2026

This family saga is extremely well written, but the parts dealing with war, writers and the emancipation of women aren’t very good.

From "The Diary of a Young Girl" by Anne Frank

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

John Williams’ gloriously Wagnerian soundtracks helped launch the never-ending “Star Wars” sagas.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 28, 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

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

Icelanders are among the most literate in the world and the Icelandic sagas rate among the greatest in literature.

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady

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