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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of narrative
Enjoy the bright colors, quirky sound effects, and sweet narratives of these fabulous children’s features and shorts from around the world.
—
Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 15 Apr. 2026
Holley created the dominant narrative on this bright day in the big city, however.
—Patrick Z. McGavin, Chicago Tribune, 15 Apr. 2026
Home Depot leaned into a cultural narrative – a homeowner improving their home via a project instills pride, the company said.
—Alexandria Mansfield, USA Today, 15 Apr. 2026
But at the Jumeirah group’s newest seaside hotel, Jumeirah Marsa Al Arab, these maritime origins provide a narrative throughline.
—Travel + Leisure Editors, Travel + Leisure, 15 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for narrative
Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 15 Apr. 2026
Holley created the dominant narrative on this bright day in the big city, however.
—Patrick Z. McGavin, Chicago Tribune, 15 Apr. 2026
Home Depot leaned into a cultural narrative – a homeowner improving their home via a project instills pride, the company said.
—Alexandria Mansfield, USA Today, 15 Apr. 2026
But at the Jumeirah group’s newest seaside hotel, Jumeirah Marsa Al Arab, these maritime origins provide a narrative throughline.
—Travel + Leisure Editors, Travel + Leisure, 15 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for narrative
Recent Examples of Synonyms for narrative
Noun
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That means the street-facing facades cannot be changed although some features, like the second- and third-story windows bricked over by Owen Beidelman, could be restored.—
Carolyn Stein,
Chicago Tribune,
18 Apr. 2026
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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, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.—
Paloma Chavez,
PEOPLE,
18 Apr. 2026
Noun
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So does the tale of the tape, which clearly favors New York in its first-round matchup against a pesky Hawks team hoping to pull off an upset.—
Kristian Winfield,
New York Daily News,
17 Apr. 2026
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Dimon delivered a familiar tale that somehow manages to instill calm and panic at the same time.—
Diane Brady,
Fortune,
17 Apr. 2026
Noun
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In 2015, Colin Fries of the NASA History Division compiled a chronology of wake-up calls.—
Melissa Gaffney,
CBS News,
8 Apr. 2026
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The musical, which examines in jumbled chronology the five-year relationship between novelist Jamie and actress Cathy, debuted in Chicago in 2001 and opened off Broadway the following year.—
Glenn Garner,
Deadline,
4 Apr. 2026
Noun
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West helms the film from a script by Nathaniel Halpern that adapts Charles Dickens’ classic 1843 novella.—
Kirsten Chuba,
HollywoodReporter,
16 Apr. 2026
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House of the Dragon premieres its third season this summer ahead of a fourth and likely final season in 2028, while A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, based on Martin's Tales of Dunk & Egg novellas, is in production on season 2 for release in 2027.—
Nick Romano,
Entertainment Weekly,
13 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Ann Dowd’s Aunt Lydia is the only returning character; whether there will be a returning audience for Handmaid’s style of political commentary is yet to be seen.—
Savannah Salazar,
Vulture,
10 Apr. 2026
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White supremacist Nick Fuentes, in a video, praised the post while using a racist epithet in his commentary.—
Kevin Dolak,
HollywoodReporter,
10 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Mueller worries that people will struggle to prove their work history, especially those with nontraditional jobs.—
Samantha Liss,
CBS News,
15 Apr. 2026
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Earlier this year, Marseille Mayor Benoît Payan opposed the rapper’s visit to one of France’s most multicultural cities, which has a history of immigration stretching back centuries.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
15 Apr. 2026
Noun
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In a statement Sunday, county officials did not respond to specific questions about the grandmother’s account or whether any concerns were documented before the child’s death.—
Julia Prodis Sulek,
Mercury News,
20 Apr. 2026
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Drawing on these accounts, Thomas published some of the first books that explored the Japanese experience of the war at a time when the subject was seldom discussed, including in the Japanese American community.—
Hua Hsu,
New Yorker,
20 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Paula Wethington contributed to this report.—
Terrance Friday,
CBS News,
17 Apr. 2026
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Associated Press writers Kim Tong-hyung in Seoul, South Korea, Mari Yamaguchi in Tokyo, Japan and Aniruddha Ghosal in Hanoi, Vietnam contributed to this report.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
17 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Narrative.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/narrative. Accessed 20 Apr. 2026.
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