narrative

American  

[nar-uh-tiv] / ˈnær ə tɪv /

noun

• narratives
  plural

1. a story or account of events, experiences, or the like, whether true or fictitious.

   Synonyms:

   tale, chronicle

2. a book, literary work, etc., containing such a story.

3. the art, technique, or process of narrating, or of telling a story.

   Somerset Maugham was a master of narrative.

4. a story that connects and explains a carefully selected set of supposedly true events, experiences, or the like, intended to support a particular viewpoint or thesis.

   to rewrite the prevailing narrative about masculinity; the narrative that our public schools are failing.

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adjective

1. consisting of or being a narrative.

   a narrative poem.

2. of or relating to narration, or the telling of a story.

   My English teacher's narrative skill makes characters seem to come to life.

3. Fine Arts. representing stories or events pictorially or sculpturally.

   narrative painting.

narrative British  

/ ˈnærətɪv /

noun

1. an account, report, or story, as of events, experiences, etc

2. the part of a literary work that relates events

3. the process or technique of narrating

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adjective

1. telling a story

   a narrative poem

2. of or relating to narration

   narrative art

Synonym Usage

Narrative, account, recital, history are terms for a story of an event or events. Narrative is the general term (for a story long or short; of past, present, or future; factual or imagined; told for any purpose; and with or without much detail). The other three terms apply primarily to factual stories of time already past. An account is usually told informally, often for entertainment, with emphasis on details of action, whether about an incident or a series of happenings. A recital is an extended narrative usually with an informative purpose, emphasizing accuracy and exhaustive details of facts and figures. A history, usually written and at some length, is characterized by a tracing of causes and effects, and by an attempt to estimate, evaluate, and interpret facts.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonnarrative
  adjective
• seminarrative
  adjective
• narratively
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• narratives
  plural

Etymology

Origin of narrative

First recorded in 1445–55; from Middle French narratif (adjective and noun), from Late Latin narrātīvus “narration” (noun), “suitable for narration” (adjective), from narrāt(us) “related, told” (past participle of narrāre “to relate, tell, say”) + -īvus, adjective suffix; equivalent to narrate ( def. ) + -ive ( def. )

Explanation

A narrative is a story that you write or tell to someone, usually in great detail. A narrative can be a work of poetry or prose, or even song, theater, or dance. Often a narrative is meant to include the "whole story." A summary will give a few key details and then the narrative will delve into the details. "I hate to interrupt your narrative," is a polite way of stopping someone in the middle of a story. The origin of this noun is the Latin adjective narrativus, from narrare "to tell," from gnarus "knowing." It is related to our English verb know.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

narrative narratives

The next month, however, they dropped the charges against both men, and the DHS backed off its narrative in a rare admission of possible wrongdoing of its officers.

From Salon ● Sep. 4, 2026

While the museum will include Star Wars-themed memorabilia, it will also feature other historic and modern pieces among the more than 1,200 works of narrative art.

From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2026

Investors will watch for market-moving speeches from the event, as well as the developing narrative around sticky inflation and higher borrowing costs.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026

But this version of “A Different World” departs from its source material in its narrative format and tone.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 1, 2026

The interminable pages about light and stone and water, a narrative split between three different points of view, the hovering stillness of nothing much seeming to happen—none of this could conceal her cowardice.

From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan

"It makes sense" because it's a "short and intense" book and falls into one of the most popular tropes on TikTok, she said, citing popular narratives such as "friends becoming lovers."

From Barron's ● Sep. 4, 2026

Nowadays, it’s hard to unpack these narratives, when there are a thousand other issues vying for people’s attention.

From Salon ● Aug. 31, 2026

One of Presner’s class exercises has students use language models to build historical narratives, then manipulate them.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2026

My years as a politician and a diplomat have taught me to distrust tidy narratives about our region.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026

I liked the idea of being in charge of one thing rather than two, of not having my brain scrambled by the competing narratives of home and work.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama

Related Words

• account
• anecdote
• book
• chronicle
• chronology
• description
• detail
• fiction
• history
• narration
• plot
• version