narration

noun

nar·​ra·​tion na-ˈrā-shən 

nə-

1

: the act or process or an instance of narrating

2

: story, narrative

narrational

na-ˈrā-sh(ə-)nəl 

nə-

adjective

Synonyms of narration

• commentary
• story
• chronology
• history
• report
• narrative
• account
• record

Examples of narration in a Sentence

The novel uses first-person narration.

They got a famous actor to do the narration for the documentary.

an actor who does narrations for documentaries

Recent Examples on the Web

For all the liveliness and color of McBride’s dialogue, some of his narration can be flat. — T. M. Brown, New Yorker, 8 Sep. 2026

Unfortunately, even though the movie’s women are given the power of narration, they’re stripped of narrative power in the process, becoming vestigial to their own recitals. — Siddhant Adlakha, IndieWire, 8 Sep. 2026

Overton slips into first person to paint intimate scenes, into second person to address John directly, and into sections of creative, poetic expression to set a tone for the narration of Berger’s life. — Emily Temple, Literary Hub, 8 Sep. 2026

Star Trek wasn’t heavily serialized — few shows were back then — but airing this episode first has the effect of dropping viewers into the show with little beyond William Shatner‘s opening credits narration to set the scene. — Rick Porter, HollywoodReporter, 8 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for narration

• ablation
• aeration
• bination
• carnation
• cassation
• castration
• causation
• centration
• cessation
• cetacean
• chelation
• citation

Kids Definition

narration

noun

nar·​ra·​tion na-ˈrā-shən 

nə-

1

: the act or process or an instance of telling a story

2

: story entry 1 sense 1a, narrative

narrational

-shnəl 

-shən-ᵊl

adjective