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
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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
After plenty of chatter, Thug is attempting to finally control his narrative and the reclamation of the Atlanta rapper is on.
—
Michael Saponara, Billboard, 12 Sep. 2025
Unlike the typical success narratives that dominate social media, Repole’s message acknowledges the statistical reality that most startups—over two-thirds of them—fail, and that even successful entrepreneurs face constant uncertainty.
—Dave Smith, Fortune, 12 Sep. 2025
For Machado and the Venezuelan opposition, embracing a narrative in which Maduro is a drug lord, not just a dictator, is a bit of a gamble.
—Gisela Salim-Peyer, The Atlantic, 12 Sep. 2025
Previous games have usually centered on large scale wars between nations with operatic narratives.
—Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 12 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for narrative
Michael Saponara, Billboard, 12 Sep. 2025
Unlike the typical success narratives that dominate social media, Repole’s message acknowledges the statistical reality that most startups—over two-thirds of them—fail, and that even successful entrepreneurs face constant uncertainty.
—Dave Smith, Fortune, 12 Sep. 2025
For Machado and the Venezuelan opposition, embracing a narrative in which Maduro is a drug lord, not just a dictator, is a bit of a gamble.
—Gisela Salim-Peyer, The Atlantic, 12 Sep. 2025
Previous games have usually centered on large scale wars between nations with operatic narratives.
—Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 12 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for narrative
Recent Examples of Synonyms for narrative
Noun
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Advertisement Then, in February, after an early version of the site was ready, a story about Shield Seniors and Tejasvi appeared in the Dallas Observer, bringing her to the attention of the people at AARP.—
Jeffrey Kluger,
Time,
9 Sep. 2025
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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.—
Nicholas Rice,
People.com,
9 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The tale is pilfered from the Aeneid, but Virgil would blench to see the curtain rise on Jupiter, dandling Ganymede, a beautiful boy, upon his knee.—
Anthony Lane,
New Yorker,
8 Sep. 2025
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Maggie O’Farrell’s 2020 novel Hamnet imagined the relationship between the Bard and his spouse as an intimate tale of lust, compromise, joy, resentment, support, and sorrow.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
8 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The two of them are tightly bound not just by chronology but also by the stratifications of class; Marlowe’s father made shoes, and Shakespeare’s father made gloves.—
Anthony Lane,
New Yorker,
8 Sep. 2025
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But Longo also disrupts the idea of typical film-watching chronology.—
Kristen Tauer,
Footwear News,
6 Sep. 2025
Noun
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None of this instability emerges until late in the interrogation, which is also late in the novella.—
Lily Meyer,
The Atlantic,
5 Sep. 2025
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Benjamin Voisin, who previously worked with Ozon on Summer of 85, stars as protagonist Meursault, the novella’s French expat protagonist who senselessly kills a local man on a beach.—
Melanie Goodfellow,
Deadline,
2 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The barebones campaign website of Brad Gaines touts his history as a football player in high school and at Vanderbilt University.—
David Mark,
The Washington Examiner,
12 Sep. 2025
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Doctors struggle to access complete patient histories, researchers spend months cleaning inconsistent datasets, and hospitals face spiraling costs just to keep outdated systems running.—
Matthew Kayser,
USA Today,
12 Sep. 2025
Noun
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After winning series 13 in 2022, Syabira Yusoff has continued to share her passion for baking with her growing audience on her social media account.—
Jane LaCroix,
PEOPLE,
8 Sep. 2025
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Bundys’ account of Finicum shooting aligns with reports The Bundy family’s statement included a photo of FBI Director Kash Patel standing with four men with an FBI Shield of Bravery award displayed in front of them.—
Nicole Blanchard,
Idaho Statesman,
7 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Nicholas’s narration captures the subjective experience of panic with high-res precision.—
Scott Stossel,
The Atlantic,
9 Sep. 2025
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Pause repeatedly during your narration.—
Jerry Weissman,
Forbes.com,
9 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Even so, the £125m British-record fee received for Isak (which the club insist is actually worth £130m to them due to solidarity payments being waived) is an astronomical fee and should alleviate any concerns about the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules for several windows to come.—
James McNicholas,
New York Times,
8 Sep. 2025
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Former Kansas basketball forward Mitch Lightfoot, who participated in a record-setting six of coach Bill Self’s preseason boot camp conditioning programs, has offered a bit of advice to the many newcomers on the 2025-26 team.—
Gary Bedore,
Kansas City Star,
8 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Narrative.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/narrative. Accessed 13 Sep. 2025.
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