1
as in story
a relating of events usually in the order in which they happened
wrote a witty, chatty narrative of all the happenings at the party
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in tale
a work with imaginary characters and events that is shorter and usually less complex than a novel
in such narratives as "The Murders in the Rue Morgue" and "The Purloined Letter," Edgar Allan Poe essentially created the modern detective story
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of narrative
The Hold Steady frontman’s sixth solo album has been praised for its groovy narrative skeleton.
—
Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 31 Oct. 2025
The movie’s narrative [spoilers ahead] revolves around the lovely circus aerialist Cleopatra, who romantically pursues little person Hans, a performer in the sideshow.
—JSTOR Daily, 30 Oct. 2025
There’s a common, but untrue, narrative that certain sets of scientific dogmas, like the Earth being stationary and the center of the Universe, could not be challenged.
—Big Think, 30 Oct. 2025
The core narrative revolves around a group of guests at a country cottage telling scary stories, each of which is helmed by a different director.
—Katie Rife, Entertainment Weekly, 30 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for narrative
Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 31 Oct. 2025
The movie’s narrative [spoilers ahead] revolves around the lovely circus aerialist Cleopatra, who romantically pursues little person Hans, a performer in the sideshow.
—JSTOR Daily, 30 Oct. 2025
There’s a common, but untrue, narrative that certain sets of scientific dogmas, like the Earth being stationary and the center of the Universe, could not be challenged.
—Big Think, 30 Oct. 2025
The core narrative revolves around a group of guests at a country cottage telling scary stories, each of which is helmed by a different director.
—Katie Rife, Entertainment Weekly, 30 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for narrative
Recent Examples of Synonyms for narrative
Noun
-
The real story of the Elizabethan succession was altogether darker and more turbulent than Camden’s fiction.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
4 Nov. 2025
-
This is the web version of Fortune Tech, a daily newsletter breaking down the biggest players and stories shaping the future.—
Andrew Nusca,
Fortune,
4 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
This funny tale of unlikely heroism can be enjoyed either as a read-aloud or as a confidence booster for newly independent readers.—
Caroline Carlson,
Literary Hub,
3 Nov. 2025
-
The tale away from the playing field in recent years has been dizzying, one of soaring costs and debts, of quirks and chicanery unseen elsewhere.—
Chris Weatherspoon,
New York Times,
3 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Since filmmaking is both costly and complex, the French model structures a film’s life cycle to reflect levels of investment — allowing those who contribute the most to appear earliest in the chronology, and those who follow to participate proportionally.—
Elsa Keslassy,
Variety,
28 Oct. 2025
-
As a historian, the first thing is chronology.—
Andy Greene,
Rolling Stone,
27 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The novella is a haunted house, dual point of view ride where the metaphors from the top down are consistently delivered.—
Amber McBride,
Literary Hub,
5 Nov. 2025
-
Edgerton stars as an itinerant worker in the early 1900s Pacific Northwest in the adaptation of the Denis Johnson novella, which premiered at Sundance.—
Scott Roxborough,
HollywoodReporter,
4 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Despite the ongoing war, and anti-Western rhetoric that has become embedded in Kremlin and state media commentary, Russia is likely to be ready and willing to participate in future global cultural and sporting events should circumstances change.—
Holly Ellyatt,
CNBC,
31 Oct. 2025
-
This isn’t just shot in black-and-white, thus resembling the 1960 meta-commentary on American crime thrillers and pulp fictions in all its monochromatic glory.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
31 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Jacksonville businesses of all kinds have been affected by the downstream effects of the second-longest government shutdown in history, including Chicken Country, a restaurant that has provided the area with Southern cooking for about 50 years.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
31 Oct. 2025
-
In her exhaustive chronicle, Jennings traces the long folkloric history of monk-tormenting demons.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
31 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
While its initial focus was cross-border payments, Zhang said the company’s revenue is now spread over an array of products, with business accounts similar to Mercury comprising 34% of its revenue, spend management 20%, and payments 30%.—
Leo Schwartz,
Fortune,
3 Nov. 2025
-
But as was proven later, in conflicting accounts like the ones here, the Band didn’t quite go quietly into that night.—
David Browne,
Rolling Stone,
2 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
The comments were picked up by South Korea’s Chosun Ilbo newspaper, and CNN asked the two former US Navy officers to review that report and the video.—
Brad Lendon,
CNN Money,
26 Oct. 2025
-
Dover police said authorities had responded to a report of an altercation at the same time gunshots were heard.—
Liam Quinn,
PEOPLE,
26 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Narrative.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/narrative. Accessed 5 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share