saga

American  

[sah-guh] / ˈsɑ gə /

noun

1. a medieval Icelandic or Norse prose narrative of achievements and events in the history of a personage, family, etc.

2. any narrative or legend of heroic exploits.

   Synonyms:

   history, tale, epic

3. Also called saga novel.  a form of the novel in which the members or generations of a family or social group are chronicled in a long and leisurely narrative.

4. a dramatic history of a group, place, industry, etc..

   the saga of the transcontinental railroad.

5. any very long story with dramatic events or parts.

   the sad saga of her life in poverty.

---

saga British  

/ ˈsɑːɡə /

noun

1. any of several medieval prose narratives written in Iceland and recounting the exploits of a hero or a family

2. any similar heroic narrative

3. Also called: saga novel.  a series of novels about several generations or members of a family

4. any other artistic production said to resemble a saga

5. informal a series of events or a story stretching over a long period

---

Etymology

Origin of saga

First recorded in 1700–10; from Old Norse: literally, “story, narrative, history”; cognate with saw ³

Explanation

When your friend tells you every detail of how she tripped over a rock, broke her ankle, and then got into a car accident on the way to the hospital, she is sharing a long, involved story known as a saga. The word saga has its origins in the Middle Ages. In those days, a saga was an historical tale of the first families who lived in Norway or Iceland. Today the word is used to describe a very complicated or detailed series of events. A saga is the kind of long, drawn-out story that can cause the people who hear it to roll their eyes in boredom.

Example Sentences

Juliet Oh of Diamond Bar and Eliana Saga of Valencia each shot 67 to lead individual golfers.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 3, 2025

If you’re not familiar with the Tom Cillo Saga, you’re probably asking: Wait, how did this happen?

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 16, 2025

In perhaps the saddest post of the day, a user named Saga mocked up a fantasy poster for the event that featured a murderers’ row of has-beens like Papa Roach, Nickelback, Staind and, yep, Creed.

From Salon • Oct. 15, 2025

Appeared in the September 22, 2025, print edition as 'Departing India Can Be a Chore, GM Saga Shows'.

From The Wall Street Journal • Sep. 22, 2025

In the blaze of the evening light he looked, not a man, but a young God, a Hero God out of some Northern Saga.

From "And Then There Were None" by Agatha Christie