Entry Word: narrative

Function: noun

Meaning: 1 a relating of events usually in the order in which they happened <wrote a witty, chatty narrative of all the happenings at the party> — see account 1
2 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 created the modern detective story> — see story 1