narrative

[nar-uh-tiv]

noun

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.

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

/ 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

adjective

1. telling a story

   a narrative poem

2. of or relating to narration

   narrative art

Other Word Forms

• narratively adverb
• nonnarrative adjective
• seminarrative adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of narrative¹

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. )

Synonym Study

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.

Example Sentences

Capitol, said Garcia’s push to seek records “outside of traditional channels,” including the Epstein estate, helped drive a “public narrative that broke through.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Some prominent economists, including Sally Auld, chief economist at National Australia Bank, have already cautioned that the RBA’s narrative could shift toward rate increases as early as the first half of 2026.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

This does not, of course, foreclose another question: Does the book add anything of additional value—defining the term, loosely, to include perspective and narrative fluency?

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

“History” is a major player in this breathless narrative, as in “gales of history,” “maelstrom of history,” “winds of history,” “tide of history” and the “frenetic pace of history”—all within a few dozen pages.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

His meticulous survey takes in dozens of sources, from the obscure to the well-known: pamphlets to legal codes, sermons to atlases, maps, travel narratives, even journals kept by ships’ captains.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

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