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 relationship between the 52-year-old German and his players has become an emerging narrative following Argentina's 2-1 victory in the last-four tie with two late goals.

From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026

That narrative supports the belief that nominal rates must rise for real rates to return to positive territory.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 15, 2026

The reports cover the three armed services, the Atomic Weapons Establishment, and an overall narrative.

From BBC ● Jul. 15, 2026

Whether the genre is romantasy or autofiction, making up stories often demands making up stories about real people — exploiting them — to serve a narrative purpose.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026

He would write it after the war, a narrative of Biafra’s difficult victory, an indictment of the world.

From "Half of a Yellow Sun" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Gomez meanwhile said that while Maradona was seen as a revolutionary who confronted FIFA's power, current narratives perceive Messi as FIFA's "golden boy."

From Barron's ● Jul. 18, 2026

It twists away as if to say that human narratives, desires and destinies are annoying no matter who they belong to.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026

Two versions of Swift emerge from the mostly ungenerous hearsay about what happened at MSG that day, both building on longstanding narratives.

From Salon ● Jul. 9, 2026

An Ohio statewide remix of Toni Morrison’s oeuvre connects the ghosts of ‘Beloved’ to the neighborhoods of ‘Sula’ to reveal the real narratives of the American experiment.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026

You have not yet grappled with your own myths and narratives and discovered the plunder everywhere around us.

From "Between the World and Me" by Ta-Nehisi Coates

Related Words

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