narrator

or nar·rat·er

[ nar-ey-ter, na-rey‑, nar-uh‑ ]

noun

1. a person who gives an account or tells the story of events, experiences, etc.
2. a person who adds spoken commentary to a film, television program, slide show, etc.

narrator

/ nəˈreɪtə /

noun

1. a person who tells a story or gives an account of something
2. a person who speaks in accompaniment of a film, television programme, etc

narrator

1. A person who tells a story; in literature, the voice that an author takes on to tell a story. This voice can have a personality quite different from the author's. For example, in his story “The Tell-Tale Heart,” Edgar Allan Poe makes his narrator a raving lunatic.

Word History and Origins

Origin of narrator¹

First recorded in 1610–20; from Latin narrātor “narrator, historian” narrate ( def ), -or ²( def )

Example Sentences

And it is in the humble opinion of this narrator that this is not just something that happened.

From Los Angeles Times

There, a narrator and singer welcomes and regales guests with tales of how different Latin countries present stories of Santa Claus, or, say, the joy of unwrapping a tamale.

From Los Angeles Times

There are two Artemisias in the show: the historical Baroque painter and a docent-like narrator.

From New York Times

The narrator of Baldwin’s story watches from the audience as his brother, a pianist, plays onstage.

From Los Angeles Times

Our expert content team has a way of sprinkling soothing magic on all of our Sleep Stories through the narrator's cadence to the background music to get people to lull to sleep.

From Salon

Related Words

• author
• chronicler
• novelist
• writer