narrative

noun nar·ra·tive \ ˈner-ə-tiv , ˈna-rə- \

Updated on: 20 Apr 2018

Definition of narrative

1 : something that is narrated : story, account

He is writing a detailed narrative of his life on the island.

2 : the art or practice of narration

… depended not on narrative but on intensity derived from the verity to make the book jump.
—Stanley Kauffmann

3 : the representation in art of an event or story; also : an example of such a representation

the narrative of St. Joan of Arc

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narratively

adverb

See narrative defined for English-language learners

See narrative defined for kids

Examples of narrative in a Sentence

He is writing a detailed narrative of his life on the island.
People have questioned the accuracy of his narrative.

Recent Examples of narrative from the Web

The Cincinnati Enquirer won for local reporting for a narrative and video series documenting seven days of the heroin epidemic in the city.

— lukas i. alpert, WSJ, "New York Times, New Yorker Share Pulitzer for Sexual-Harassment Coverage," 16 Apr. 2018
With the exception of a few video game tropes like exploding barrels and enemies with glowing weak points, virtually every part of the experience feels directly connected to the narrative and characters.

— andrew webster, The Verge, "God of War review: an incredible reimagining of a PlayStation icon," 12 Apr. 2018
Where Zama’s story goes from there matters less as a straightforward narrative and more as a careful accumulation of sound, movement, and ironic but lingering images of colonialism and karmic comeuppance.

— michael phillips, chicagotribune.com, "'Zama' review: A mirage of New World wonder," 12 Apr. 2018
Anderson transports us to a late 21st century Japan packed with narrative and visual flourishes that Anderson aficionados adore: odd codes of conduct, admirable or menacing adults, ornate steampunk machines and dry, self-deprecating, sarcastic wit.

— colin covert, idahostatesman, "Wes Anderson’s animated ‘Isle of Dogs’ is a delight with bite | Idaho Statesman," 12 Apr. 2018
The images obliquely illustrate the narrative, and the constant visual flux often suggests a graphic novel translated into MTV, which helps to account for the numbing effect.

— patrick friel, Chicago Reader, "Film / Foreign / Television Five low-budget (but still amazing) science-fiction films," 3 Apr. 2018
Choreographer Peter Chu has removed that narrative and based his movements on simpler images of growth and unity.

— lawrence toppman, charlotteobserver, "Put kids amid pros – and a choreographer who’s done ‘So You Think You Can Dance’ – and here’s what happens | Charlotte Observer," 29 Mar. 2018
Staff scrambled to change the narrative and shift the conversation to the state's improving economy.

— brian slodysko, Indianapolis Star, "Emails: Conservatives slammed then-Gov. Mike Pence in 2015 for changing religious freedom law," 28 Mar. 2018
Endless Thread cherry-picks fascinating narratives from the 330-million-strong online community, and talks to the real people behind those stories.

— carly mallenbaum, USA TODAY, "5 news podcasts you should be listening to," 27 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'narrative.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of narrative

1567

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

narrative Synonyms

Synonyms

account, chronicle, chronology, commentary (usually commentaries), history, narration, record, report, story;

Related Words

version;

deposition, documentation, testament, testimonial, testimony, witness;

annals, blog, diary, journal, log, logbook, memoir;

anecdote, tale, yarn;

epic, saga;

recital, recitation;

case history, case study;

narrative

adjective

Definition of narrative

1 : having the form of a story or representing a story

a narrative poem

narrative paintings

2 : of or relating to the process of telling a story

the author's narrative style

the novel's narrative structure

See narrative defined for English-language learners

Recent Examples of narrative from the Web

The Foundation series—which made its debut in 1942—was an influence on cultural touchstones such as Star Wars and The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and on key parts of the narrative premise in the very recent video game Horizon: Zero Dawn.

— samuel axon, Ars Technica, "Apple orders its most ambitious TV series yet: An adaptation of Asimov’s Foundation," 11 Apr. 2018
The mask and the gigantic, polar bear-esque creature, say something about the balancing act that the show’s producers and writers attempted to navigate questions of appropriation, authenticity and narrative necessity.

— kat eschner, Smithsonian, "Tales of the Doomed Franklin Expedition Long Ignored the Inuit Side, But “The Terror” Flips the Script," 6 Apr. 2018
Well, the reception of their work is one of the narrative threads of the book.

— natalie daher, Longreads, "Sharp Women Writers: An Interview With Michelle Dean," 4 Apr. 2018
Where On Earth Is Carmen Sandiego? told a more narrative story of Carmen's adventures in thievery.

— refinery29.com, "Time To Brush Up On Geography: Gina Rodriguez Is Your New Carmen Sandiego," 26 Mar. 2018
Host Ben Brock Johnson and producer Amory Sivertson add new depth to these Internet-famous fables with interviews, narrative arcs and, crucially, their fact-checking abilities.

— eliana dockterman, Time, "The 50 Best Podcasts to Listen to Right Now," 30 Mar. 2018
Given that Sorrento is a buttoned-down, stony-faced idea-thief of an evil overlord, straight out of Tron, there’s not a lot of room for narrative nuance in this story.

— tasha robinson, The Verge, "Steven Spielberg’s Ready Player One improves immensely on the book," 30 Mar. 2018
What the project needed was a narrative element that would get audiences to see the raw materials in a new light.

— p.k. french, WIRED, "How One Strange Rock Made Our World A Bit More Otherworldly," 26 Mar. 2018
To be sure, this is the narrative right-wing populists push, but evidence from surveys is far more ambiguous.

— chicagotribune.com, "Europe forgot what 'conservative' means," 22 Mar. 2018