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unreliable narrator

American  
[uhn-ri-lahy-uh-buhl nar-ay-ter] / ˌʌn rɪˈlaɪ ə bəl ˈnær eɪ tər /

noun

  • unreliable narrators
    plural
  1. a narrator, especially in a work of fiction, whose version of events cannot be completely trusted.


Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

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.

See Examples For:

His second day of testimony in federal court in Oakland, California grew testy at times, as OpenAI's lawyers sought to portray the Tesla tycoon as an unreliable narrator of the company's history.

From Barron's Apr. 29, 2026

The psychologist had spent nine hours interviewing Norris and told the hearing he was an "unreliable narrator of his own life".

From BBC Oct. 8, 2025

But is Reubens an unreliable narrator in his own documentary?

From Salon Jan. 30, 2025

I thought it would be helpful if I showed him to be an unreliable narrator.

From Los Angeles Times Sep. 29, 2024

Are you familiar with the phrase unreliable narrator?

From "Confessions of a Murder Suspect" by James Patterson

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