scenario

noun

sce·​nar·​io sə-ˈner-ē-ˌō 

 US also and especially British  -ˈnär-

plural scenarios

1

a

: an outline or synopsis of a play

especially : a plot outline used by actors of the commedia dell'arte

b

: the libretto of an opera

2

a

: screenplay

b

: shooting script

3

: a sequence of events especially when imagined

especially : an account or synopsis of a possible course of action or events

his scenario for a settlement envisages … reunification

—Selig Harrison

Synonyms

• screenplay
• script

Examples of scenario in a Sentence

A possible scenario would be that we move to the city.

The most likely scenario is that he goes back to school in the fall.

The best-case scenario would be for us to finish the work by tomorrow.

In the worst-case scenario, we would have to start the project all over again.

Recent Examples on the Web

In a new trade scenario, the Mavericks do just that and land a star 3-and-D defender from the Portland Trail Blazers. —Gord Magill, Newsweek, 22 Dec. 2024

Large numbers of new people coming into the home and descending on piles of food and Christmas decorations easily trigger anxious dogs − and worst-case scenario, someone could get bit or your dog could eat something dangerous. —Claire Thornton, USA TODAY, 20 Dec. 2024

For instance, synthetic data may not fully capture the nuanced characteristics of real-world scenarios, and transfer learning can struggle to generalize across significantly different domains. —Hamilton Mann, Forbes, 20 Dec. 2024

Although much remains unknown about the new genotypes, such a scenario is highly unlikely. —Paul Smaglik, Discover Magazine, 20 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Italian, from Latin scaenarium place for erecting stages, from scaena stage

First Known Use

1768, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

scenario

noun

sce·​nar·​io sə-ˈnar-ē-ˌō 

-ˈner-,

-ˈnär-

plural scenarios

1

a

: an outline of a play

b

: the text of an opera

2

: screenplay

3

: a sequence of events especially when imagined