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metanarrative

British  
/ ˈmɛtəˌnærətɪv /

noun

  1. (in postmodernist literary theory) a narrative about a narrative or narratives

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of metanarrative

C20: from meta- + narrative


Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

The effect of the metanarrative is to juxtapose Byron’s violent passions with the careful, repressed behavior of one who hoped to capture him in literature.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 26, 2025

Murphy’s work always tries to tease out a metanarrative about the American condition, whether the topic celebrates fame and glamor or indictment of our failings and excesses.

From Salon ● Oct. 4, 2024

It’s not fan service like Taylor Swift’s Easter eggs, but it reflects an understanding that for many listeners, and perhaps especially for those who may not bother to listen at all, the metanarrative matters.

From New York Times ● Nov. 8, 2022

Characters could die in one episode and be fine in the next, all connected via a multiverse metanarrative as ambitious as anything attempted by Marvel or Rick and Morty.

From The Verge ● Nov. 16, 2021

But the show’s own metanarrative also fetishizes harmony and feminine solidarity.

From Slate ● Apr. 5, 2019

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