scenario

American  

[si-nair-ee-oh, -nahr-] / sɪˈnɛər iˌoʊ, -ˈnɑr- /

noun

• scenarios
  plural

1. an outline of the plot of a dramatic work, giving particulars as to the scenes, characters, situations, etc.

2. the outline or the manuscript of a motion picture or television program, giving the action in the order in which it takes place, the description of scenes and characters, etc.

3. an imagined or projected sequence of events, especially any of several detailed plans or possibilities.

   One scenario calls for doubling profits by increasing our advertising, the other by reducing costs.

   Synonyms:

   sketch, concept, plan, scheme

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scenario British  

/ sɪˈnɑːrɪˌəʊ, sɪˈnɑː-, ˈsiːnərɪst /

noun

1. a summary of the plot of a play, etc, including information about its characters, scenes, etc

2. a predicted sequence of events

   let's try another scenario, involving the demise of democracy

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• scenarist
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• scenarios
  plural

Etymology

Origin of scenario

First recorded in 1875–80; from Italian, from Latin scaenārium, scēnārium, noun use of scaenārius, scēnārius “belonging to the stage, theatrical,” from scaen(a), scēn(a) “background, stage, theater” ( see scene) + -ārius -ary

Explanation

A scenario is a specific possibility. To plan on playing with a bunch of bear cubs is a scenario — a dumb one, but still a scenario. When people are wondering what to do, they think of different scenarios. Moving to a big city is one scenario — moving to a tiny town is another. A football team has to plan for many scenarios, like the starting quarterback being injured. The government plans for hundreds of scenarios, such as natural disasters and attacks by terrorists. In literature, a scenario can mean a summing up of what's going on — what the situation is. A scenario is pretty similar to a situation, but a scenario hasn't happened yet and might not happen at all.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

scenario scenarios

In that scenario, starting since inflation took off in 2021, he finds the effective tax rate on real capital gains has climbed to 51%, up from about 30% in the second half of the 2010s.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026

Each scenario asks players to pick one action from three choices on the screen, with each potentially upsetting or pleasing the different factions.

From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026

In a worst-case scenario, economists say, the AI boom could keep inflation at or near 3% this year and possibly force the Fed to raise interest rates.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 15, 2026

“Is that a likely scenario? We don’t believe so,” Szabo said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026

This scenario is not entirely realistic, however, because of the following problem.

From "A Brief History of Time: And Other Essays" by Stephen Hawking

Decisions are made across more than 300 fictional political scenarios, handwritten by Brewis.

From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026

A later study explored several global warming scenarios.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 14, 2026

During the 10-day Han Kuang drills that end Friday, Taiwan's military staged combat scenarios for its troops and reservists to practise responding to a Chinese attack.

From Barron's ● Aug. 13, 2026

The timeline for election administrators to think through the issue before November is tight, and it poses challenges for offices that already are stretched thin preparing for other possible election-day scenarios.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026

In his mind, he repeated scenarios of telling his father he was going to stay.

From "Healer of the Water Monster" by Brian Young

Related Words

• plot
• scheme