retelling
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of retelling
Explanation
A retelling is a new version of an old story. Somehow, your retelling of your dad's hilarious tale of catching a shoe instead of a fish is never quite as funny as his version. Retelling comes from the verb retell, or "tell again." You can use this word for literal retellings, when an anecdote is simply told all over again for the second (or third) time. It's also useful for updated versions of classic stories. The movie Clueless is a retelling of the Jane Austen novel Emma. And Jane Smiley's A Thousand Acres is a retelling of Shakespeare's King Lear.
Vocabulary lists containing retelling
Literary Terms, Grade 8, Units 2–3
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Conventions, Writing to Sources, and Speaking & Listening (Unit 1)
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Additional Literary Terms, Unit 5
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Maas's series debuted in 2015 as a dark retelling of "Beauty and the Beast."
From Barron's ● Oct. 23, 2026
In the days leading up to Dussehra in northern India, performers wear elaborate costumes and make-up to stage Ramlila, the dramatic retelling of the ancient Hindu epic Ramayana.
From BBC ● Oct. 19, 2026
While your brother-in-law’s behavior does sound a bit caustic, at least by your retelling, I urge you to de-center yourself.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 24, 2026
In a summer dominated by a retelling of history’s most well-known monster-plagued sea voyage, “The Devil’s Mouth” may seem like a mere bagatelle, a non-Imax drop in the brine ‘n’ blood-splattered hero’s journey.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026
However, I’m not sure how modesty figures in my retelling the tale to you.
From "Ella Enchanted" by Gail Carson Levine
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
