narrative

Definition of narrativenext
1
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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of narrative While workers fear that AI may be coming for their job—and Amazon’s decision last week to cut around 16,000 corporate jobs would seem to justify that narrative—the hard data isn’t yet showing that the technology is leading to massive unemployment. John Kell, Fortune, 4 Feb. 2026 O’Connor proves herself up to the task by eschewing the traditional cradle-to-grave narrative, peppered with interviews with those who knew the protagonist. Murtada Elfadl, Variety, 4 Feb. 2026 So forget narratives and personalities for a minute. Dan Woike, New York Times, 4 Feb. 2026 That narrative is changing, and Vonn is an example of it. Alexa Mikhail, Flow Space, 4 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for narrative
Recent Examples of Synonyms for narrative
Noun
  • Beyond the famous spaceships, X-Wing and TIE Fighter also brought compelling stories set in the Star Wars universe, alongside technical advancements like fully 3D graphics in place of the bitmap sprites of previous titles.
    Alan Bradley, Space.com, 31 Jan. 2026
  • Ludwig wrote in an Instagram story sharing the news on Thursday.
    Amarachi Orie, CNN Money, 30 Jan. 2026
Noun
  • For a cautionary tale, look no further than Kraft Heinz, formed by a mega-merger in 2015.
    Amelia Lucas, CNBC, 31 Jan. 2026
  • The series, the tale of a wealthy family forced to start from scratch in the middle-of-nowhere town of the title, amassed a cult following during the pandemic.
    Meriam Bouarrouj, NBC news, 30 Jan. 2026
Noun
  • Plaintiff attorneys have built similar tools capable of producing polished demand letters, medical chronologies, and settlement ranges using massive legal datasets.
    Connie Etemadi, USA Today, 27 Jan. 2026
  • The events that Herbert films are undated; the movie only hints at chronology, and its dramatic arc is a surprising one, revealing a change of consciousness by way of changes of circumstance.
    Richard Brody, New Yorker, 23 Jan. 2026
Noun
  • Clive Barker's adaptation of his own novella, The Hellbound Heart, introduced us to one of the scariest cinematic baddies, Pinhead, leader of a group of sadomasochistic demonic beings who are summoned by humans either accidentally or in pursuit of pleasures of their own.
    Kevin Jacobsen, Entertainment Weekly, 31 Jan. 2026
  • There’s a novella of a wine list, with by-the-glass options obscurely scrawled on a mirror above the bar.
    Charlie Hobbs, Condé Nast Traveler, 30 Jan. 2026
Noun
  • While this moment might offer a commentary on the weird plenty of the marketplace, Anna senses her father is lost an increasing haze and intervenes.
    Lisa Kennedy, Variety, 31 Jan. 2026
  • Analysts have cited Night of the Living Dead as a subversive commentary on the Vietnam War, which was raging at the time of the film's release.
    Kevin Jacobsen, Entertainment Weekly, 31 Jan. 2026
Noun
  • Musk has a history of overpromising technological advance timelines.
    Chris Isidore, CNN Money, 4 Feb. 2026
  • In New York, the state has completed one of the largest Medicaid transformations in its history, overhauling the home health care system precisely because of the accountability failures and fraud vulnerabilities now commanding national attention.
    Miki Kapoor, New York Daily News, 3 Feb. 2026
Noun
  • For Proust—who may have met Wilde and even been the subject of the older man’s amorous attention (though accounts of their meeting or meetings could be apocryphal)—his downfall showed that life featured far keener sorrows than those encountered in books.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 2 Feb. 2026
  • Somehow that was even fewer than Newsom’s public calls for corrections; the governor’s Twitter account tweeted at the Post seeking corrections five times.
    Max Tani, semafor.com, 2 Feb. 2026
Noun
  • Saudi Arabia’s goal to build a local defense industry is making progress but needs to overcome constraints on investment, talent, and technology, according to a report by think tank Azure Strategy.
    Matthew Martin, semafor.com, 6 Feb. 2026
  • The debut model is expected to offer a driving range of about 248 miles (400 kilometres) on China’s standard test cycle, according to reports.
    Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 6 Feb. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Narrative.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/narrative. Accessed 7 Feb. 2026.

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