Narrative
noun /ˈnærətɪv/ — The story — or the way a story is told and framed.
Definition
A spoken or written account of connected events; also, the framing or perspective through which events are understood.
Beyond the definition
Narrative is more than story — it's the perspective built into a story. 'Controlling the narrative' means deciding how events are understood, not just what happened. In media, politics, and personal life, the narrative shapes the meaning.
Origin & history
From Latin narrare — to tell, relate. From gnarus 'knowing'. A narrative is a knowing account — organised, framed, not just a list of events.
Example sentences
Illustrative sentences for learning, not verified community posts or sourced quotations.
The company tried to control the narrative after the product recall.
Her personal narrative — immigrant to engineer — was compelling in any interview.
History is always told through someone's narrative. The question is whose.
How to use it
This entry uses a noun. Follow the examples for articles and singular or plural forms; not every noun takes “a” or “an.”
Choose “Narrative” when the meaning fits your context: A spoken or written account of connected events; also, the framing or perspective through which events are understood.
Synonyms
story, account, framing, perspective, version of events
Antonyms
raw fact, unfiltered data
Related words
Word in the Wild
See how this word appears in life, language and stories.
Illustrative sentences and imagined stories for learning — not verified sightings, interviews, or sourced quotations.
Fictional scene
Two Layers of Time
An adult on a hill overlooks a landscape featuring crumbling ancient ruins in the foreground and a modern city in the distance.
The juxtaposition of the ancient ruins and the modern city forms a narrative of human history. The scene frames the events of the past and the present as connected, telling the story of how time and societal development unfold across the same landscape.
Image credit: Wordspun · AI-generated conceptual illustration
Questions about this word
What does "Narrative" mean?
Narrative is noun meaning: The story — or the way a story is told and framed.. A spoken or written account of connected events; also, the framing or perspective through which events are understood.
Where does the word "Narrative" come from?
From Latin narrare — to tell, relate. From gnarus 'knowing'. A narrative is a knowing account — organised, framed, not just a list of events.