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
Relevance
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
Second was a change in the company's narrative.
—
Jeff Marks, CNBC, 4 Mar. 2026
Christianity became central to this new Southern narrative.
—Literary Hub, 4 Mar. 2026
The monster’s missus comes with as much narrative anticipation as Godot.
—Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 4 Mar. 2026
Quan's comeback, from 1980s child star to selfie-taking Oscar winner, is one of Hollywood's more crowd-pleasing narratives in recent years.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 4 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for narrative
Jeff Marks, CNBC, 4 Mar. 2026
Christianity became central to this new Southern narrative.
—Literary Hub, 4 Mar. 2026
The monster’s missus comes with as much narrative anticipation as Godot.
—Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 4 Mar. 2026
Quan's comeback, from 1980s child star to selfie-taking Oscar winner, is one of Hollywood's more crowd-pleasing narratives in recent years.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 4 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for narrative
Recent Examples of Synonyms for narrative
Noun
-
This chance encounter between a group of young Brits and Americans led to three transatlantic love stories and three weddings.—
Maureen O'Hare,
CNN Money,
28 Feb. 2026
-
This story has been updated to add new information.—
Andrea Shalal,
USA Today,
28 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The tale involves a man who attempts to murder his wife while the two are out hiking on a mountain.—
Charles Trepany,
USA Today,
28 Feb. 2026
-
Yet, the saga remains a cautionary tale for Democrats about what can happen if too many of their candidates bunch up on the ballot under the top-two election system.—
David Mark,
The Washington Examiner,
27 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
With ace editing by Alan Lowe, Neville follows a general chronology, but wisely avoids the completist minutiae of an album-by-album breakdown.—
Sheri Linden,
HollywoodReporter,
25 Feb. 2026
-
Only some forty works of his are known to have survived, and the inability to create any sort of accurate chronology required the curators of From Shadow to Light, which contains more than twenty of his paintings, to organize the exhibition thematically.—
Nicole Krauss,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The film will focus on Breakfast at Tiffany’s Per Deadline, the film will be about the making of the 1961 classic based on the novella by Truman Capote.—
Elizabeth Logan,
Glamour,
25 Feb. 2026
-
The standard bearer of elegant style in life and on film, Hepburn had many a sartorial moment in the 1961 film based on Truman Capote’s novella of the same name, but her slinky Givenchy gown stole the show.—
Bailey Bujnosek,
InStyle,
25 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The joyous gallows humor and horror-movie commentary of old are gone, and some inspired working-in of new technology falls apart.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
28 Feb. 2026
-
Dig deep and sign up for Entertainment Weekly's free Survivor Weekly newsletter to have all the latest news, interviews, and commentary sent right to your inbox.—
Dalton Ross,
Entertainment Weekly,
27 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
During the upcoming parliamentary meeting this year, policymakers are also expected to release details of a new five-year development plan, the 15th such program in China's modern history.—
Evelyn Cheng,Anniek Bao,
CNBC,
4 Mar. 2026
-
The United States is producing more oil than any country in the history of the planet.—
Chris Isidore,
CNN Money,
4 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Bauerlein, a Wall Street Journal reporter, did her research, attended the trial, and wrote a page-turner of a narrative non-fiction account of the Murdaugh dynasty in South Carolina and the ultimate accountability of a psychopath.—
The Know,
Denver Post,
1 Mar. 2026
-
Historical accounts describe Sutter, a Swiss immigrant and early California settler, as enslaving Indigenous people and forcing tribes to work in inhumane and sometimes deadly conditions.—
Jake Goodrick,
Sacbee.com,
1 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Powell was added to the Heat’s injury report on Thursday morning, with the team listing him as questionable for the contest because of right groin soreness.—
Anthony Chiang,
Miami Herald,
27 Feb. 2026
-
An interview with an 8-year-old In 1995, when my daughter Sarah was about 8 years old, her school assigned the students a report on a civil rights leader for Black History Month.—
Rick Davis,
CNN Money,
27 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Narrative.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/narrative. Accessed 6 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
