If you’re a sage of sagas, a bard of ballads, or a pro in prose, you may have lost count of the accounts you’ve recounted. Some might call you a recounter, but as a master of narrative form you may find that recounter lacks a certain je ne sais quoi. Sure, it has a cool story—it traces back to the Latin verb computere, meaning “to count”—but so do many words: compute and computer, count and account, and neither last nor least, raconteur, a singsong title better fit for a whimsical storyteller. English speakers borrowed raconteur from French in the early 19th century.
Examples of raconteur in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the WebOne Dahl story won’t do; his ingenuity runs to the elaboration of four convoluted tales, all featuring long-winded raconteurs atop the on-screen narrator Dahl (played by Ralph Fiennes).—Armond White, National Review, 15 Mar. 2024 His Kevin was a raconteur and barman at his best friend Johnny Ryan's (Bernie Barrow) bar, while also acting as a perpetual thorn in the side to his in-law Delia (Ilene Kristen).—Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 11 Mar. 2024 In private, Mayorkas—who is short, fit, and bald, with bushy eyebrows and a cadet’s ramrod posture—is ironic, sharp-witted, and charismatic, a raconteur who leaps out of his seat to exaggerate a detail or deliver a punch line.—Jonathan Blitzer, The New Yorker, 17 Feb. 2024 None of this is secret, but it’s not been publicised because being a litigious art collective equally as dedicated to producing art as engaging in brand maintenance doesn’t evoke the solo, clandestine, provocative raconteur image Banksy is going for.—Tyson Mitman, Fortune, 12 Oct. 2023 Gregory Gregory is a man of many titles: a grandfather, a Jersey Shore restaurateur and raconteur, a 71-year-old with the same first and last name.—Timothy Bella, Washington Post, 21 Aug. 2023 Mark was brilliant, funny, a raconteur with a million stories.—Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 4 Aug. 2023 Actor, raconteur, and national treasure Miriam Margolyes, creative polymath Janelle Monáe (who has a fantastic new album out now), and the inimitable Rina Sawayama grace a trio of covers.—Vogue, 22 June 2023 Powell is a gracious and emotional raconteur, while the clients’ and colleagues’ observations feel candid and wistful.—Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 15 June 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'raconteur.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
French, from Middle French, from raconter to tell, from Old French, from re- + aconter, acompter to tell, count — more at account
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