scenario

noun

sce·​nar·​io sə-ˈner-ē-ˌō 

 US also and especially British  -ˈnär-

plural scenarios

1

a

: an outline or synopsis of a play

especially : a plot outline used by actors of the commedia dell'arte

b

: the libretto of an opera

2

a

: screenplay

b

: shooting script

3

: a sequence of events especially when imagined

especially : an account or synopsis of a possible course of action or events

his scenario for a settlement envisages … reunification

—Selig Harrison

Synonyms

• screenplay
• script

Examples of scenario in a Sentence

A possible scenario would be that we move to the city.

The most likely scenario is that he goes back to school in the fall.

The best-case scenario would be for us to finish the work by tomorrow.

In the worst-case scenario, we would have to start the project all over again.

Recent Examples on the Web

Justice Elena Kagan offered hypothetical scenarios in which a President ordered his military to conduct a coup, or sold nuclear secrets to a hostile power abroad. —Nik Popli, TIME, 25 Apr. 2024

David Russell, global head of market strategy at TradeStation, even argued that the U.S. economy could be facing a nightmare economic scenario that hasn’t happened since the 1970s. —Will Daniel, Fortune, 25 Apr. 2024

In this scenario, Brian Thomas Jr., Adonai Mitchell and Keon Coleman are names to consider. —Jeff Miller, Los Angeles Times, 23 Apr. 2024

That is far lower than the worst-case scenario of nearly 5 degrees Celsius imagined in the 2023 report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the UN body assigned to track the science of the warming planet. —Kelly Sims Gallagher, Foreign Affairs, 23 Apr. 2024

But if Trump continues to flout the court's orders, Trump could conceivably be sent to short-term confinement -- a scenario that sources told ABC News the U.S. Secret Service has started making contingency plans for. —Aaron Katersky, ABC News, 23 Apr. 2024

In the scenario about tortoises, though, Freedoms 4 and 5 seemed to be at odds. —Bill Wasik and Monica Murphy Gabra Zackman Emma Kehlbeck Lance Neal, New York Times, 23 Apr. 2024

Milius’ brainstorm was to transport Conrad’s scenario through time and space from the Belgian Congo to the Vietnam War. —Thomas Doherty, The Hollywood Reporter, 22 Apr. 2024

Under which scenario does Latisha have the largest amount in retirement savings at year-end? 1. —The Arizona Republic, 21 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Italian, from Latin scaenarium place for erecting stages, from scaena stage

First Known Use

1768, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

scenario

noun

sce·​nar·​io sə-ˈnar-ē-ˌō 

-ˈner-,

-ˈnär-

plural scenarios

1

a

: an outline of a play

b

: the text of an opera

2

: screenplay

3

: a sequence of events especially when imagined