diegetic

[ dahy-uh-jet-ik ]

adjective

1. (of a story) told by a narrator:

   Interspersed throughout the movie are diegetic scenes in which the offscreen present-day protagonist comments—usually scathingly—on the behavior of his former self.

2. happening within or being the created world of a story: In the Marvel cinematic universe, multiple separate superhero films take place within a single diegetic world.

   Diegetic sound—the creaking timbers of a ship at sea, the cries of gulls on the beach—pulls the viewer into the world of the movie.

   In the Marvel cinematic universe, multiple separate superhero films take place within a single diegetic world.

Word History and Origins

Origin of diegetic¹

First recorded in 1895–1900; from Greek diēgētikόs “(pertaining to a) narrative”