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
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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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of narrative
There's a narrative of transformation as characters journey into the wilderness to face their demons.
—
Audrey Gibbs, Nashville Tennessean, 17 Oct. 2025
The narrative too often focuses on headlines and hypotheticals, rather than on structure, incentives, and outcomes.
—Dave Smith, Fortune, 17 Oct. 2025
McIlroy, who was the direct target of McMahan’s outburst, addressed the controversy and the whole narrative around the Ryder Cup during his appearance at the DP World India Championship.
—Devlina Sarkar, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Oct. 2025
There’s this narrative that Alabama QB Ty Simpson has made a huge jump from the first game of the season.
—Matt Hayes, USA TODAY, 17 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for narrative
Audrey Gibbs, Nashville Tennessean, 17 Oct. 2025
The narrative too often focuses on headlines and hypotheticals, rather than on structure, incentives, and outcomes.
—Dave Smith, Fortune, 17 Oct. 2025
McIlroy, who was the direct target of McMahan’s outburst, addressed the controversy and the whole narrative around the Ryder Cup during his appearance at the DP World India Championship.
—Devlina Sarkar, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Oct. 2025
There’s this narrative that Alabama QB Ty Simpson has made a huge jump from the first game of the season.
—Matt Hayes, USA TODAY, 17 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for narrative
Recent Examples of Synonyms for narrative
Noun
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Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer.—
Meredith Kile,
PEOPLE,
21 Oct. 2025
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This would provide 20 two-story units and eight one-story, one-bedroom units.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
21 Oct. 2025
Noun
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This is the fourth Hammer Frankenstein film but only the third directed by Terence Fisher – after nine years away from the Baron’s experiments, Fisher returns for a gut-punching tale of undesirable outsiders, execution anxiety, and gender-bent possession.—
Rory Doherty,
Vulture,
20 Oct. 2025
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Lane Neely, a park interpreter for Caddo Lake State Park, told USA TODAY that he's heard tales about a lake creature and a ghostly woman.—
Phaedra Trethan,
USA Today,
20 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Miller’s approach to storytelling technique is as straightforward as the chronology, with a few exceptions.—
Bill Goodykoontz,
AZCentral.com,
14 Oct. 2025
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While the novel examines clashes between diverging approaches to justice, honor, and community, its looping chronology illustrates the inescapable ripples of national and family histories.—
The New Yorker,
New Yorker,
13 Oct. 2025
Noun
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It’s adapted from Denis Johnson’s novella and follows Robert Grainier, a logger working on the railroad that will cross the United States, at the turn of the 20th century.—
David Canfield,
HollywoodReporter,
21 Oct. 2025
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In total, Harrison wrote 14 books for the series, as well as a series of five mini-summer novellas and a Cliquetionary, a guide to the tween characters' slang.—
Meredith Wilshere,
PEOPLE,
18 Oct. 2025
Noun
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So, are the bullpen woes history?—
Jim Alexander,
Oc Register,
17 Oct. 2025
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It was considered immoral to lie and the whole point of writing things down back then was to increase morality and improve society, so there really is no didactic history of forgery.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
16 Oct. 2025
Noun
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There are videos flying around, with or without context; the US government is producing some, promoting others from random X accounts.—
Ben Smith,
semafor.com,
20 Oct. 2025
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If your bet loses, a $700 bonus refund will be credited to your account.—
Tyler Everett,
MSNBC Newsweek,
19 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Come for the Charley Steiner narration but definitely stay for the black and white diagrams.—
Jayson Stark,
New York Times,
9 Oct. 2025
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Taylor said in a prerecorded interview that served as the majority of the narration.—
Adisa Hargett-Robinson,
The Washington Examiner,
6 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Next up, the 49ers return to the road for a Sunday visit to the Houston Texans, who take a two-game win streak and a 2-3 record into Monday night’s game at Seattle (4-2).—
Cam Inman,
Mercury News,
20 Oct. 2025
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As for the Chiefs, a win would give them a 4-3 record and would also give them their fourth win over the last five games.—
Evan Massey,
MSNBC Newsweek,
19 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Narrative.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/narrative. Accessed 22 Oct. 2025.
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