narrative

[ nar-uh-tiv ]

/ ˈnær ə tɪv /

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See synonyms for: narrative / narratives on Thesaurus.com

noun

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

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

the art, technique, or process of narrating, or of telling a story: Somerset Maugham was a master of narrative.

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

consisting of or being a narrative: a narrative poem.

of or relating to narration, or the telling of a story: My English teacher's narrative skill makes characters seem to come to life.

Fine Arts. representing stories or events pictorially or sculpturally: narrative painting.Compare anecdotal (def. 2).

OTHER WORDS FOR narrative

1 chronicle, tale.

See synonyms for narrative on Thesaurus.com

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Origin of narrative

1445–55; (adjective) <Middle French narratif (adjective and noun), from Late Latin narrātīvus “suitable for narration, narration” from narrāt-, stem of narrātus, perfect participle of narrāre “to narrate ” + -ive

synonym study for narrative

1. 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 WORDS FROM narrative

nar·ra·tive·ly, adverbnon·nar·ra·tive, adjective, nounsem·i·nar·ra·tive, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use narrative in a sentence

“How Much of These Hills Is Gold,” by C Pam ZhangTwo orphaned girls — the children of immigrants — go on the run in this brilliant reimagining of the cowboy narrative.
50 notable works of fiction in 2020||November 19, 2020|Washington Post
In a piece for Wired UK, Ralston has a major correction to the narrative.
Fact check: Ransomware did not lead to a woman’s death in Germany|Aaron Pressman|November 16, 2020|Fortune
During the pandemic, capturing those recordings provided a unique challenge for narrative producer Natalie Pohorski and her team.
‘Call of Duty’ voice actors spent the summer on video calls like the rest of us|Mike Hume|November 11, 2020|Washington Post
For her to be under conservatorship — to have lost legal control over her life and her body — doesn’t fit the narrative.
Why Britney Spears’s fans are convinced she’s being held captive|Constance Grady|November 11, 2020|Vox

Not least, exactly 100 years ago Agatha Christie brought out “The Mysterious Affair at Styles,” the first demonstration of its author’s breathtaking narrative sleight-of-hand.
Agatha Christie fans, take note: Anthony Horowitz has a clever new twist on the classic whodunit|Michael Dirda|November 11, 2020|Washington Post
How do you keep something like that together, narratively speaking?
‘No Regrets’: Peter Jackson Says Goodbye to Middle-Earth|Alex Suskind|December 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But on the show you could actually tell it narratively over a long period of time.
The TV Superhero Guru Behind ‘The Flash’|Jason Lynch|October 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I thought it was narratively satisfying—but it was not so savory.
Michael C. Hall on Where ‘Dexter’ Went Wrong and His New Killer Role in ‘Cold in July’|Melissa Leon|May 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Too often, memoir seems to me an excuse to be fragmentary, incomplete, narratively non-rigorous.
Why Some Memoirs Are Better As Fiction|Taylor Antrim|January 19, 2010|DAILY BEAST
Who only narratively recited the words of an oath, as a reporter or historian, without a real or professed intent of swearing.
A Christian Directory|Baxter Richard
I have stated what were the avowed sentiments of the old Whigs, not in the way of argument, but narratively.
The Works of the Right Honourable Edmund Burke, Vol. IV. (of 12)|Edmund Burke

British Dictionary definitions for narrative

narrative

/ (ˈnærətɪv) /

noun

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

the narrative the part of a literary work that relates events

the process or technique of narrating

adjective

telling a storya narrative poem

of or relating to narrationnarrative art

Derived forms of narrative

narratively, adverb

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

narrative

OTHER WORDS FOR narrative

Origin of narrative

synonym study for narrative

OTHER WORDS FROM narrative

Words related to narrative

How to use narrative in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for narrative

Derived forms of narrative