narrative

Language: en

🇬🇧 /ˈnærətɪv/ 🇺🇸 /ˈnærətɪv/

📖 Definitions

  1. noun
    A spoken or written account of connected events; a story or description of a sequence of events.; The art or technique of telling a story; the process or skill of narrating.; A particular account or interpretation of events, especially one that reflects a specific perspective or ideology.; The storyline or plot structure of a literary work, film, or other creative work.; A representation of a particular situation or process in such a way as to reflect or conform to an overarching set of aims and values.
  2. adjective
    In the form of or concerned with narration; relating to the telling of a story.; Characterized by or consisting of narration; descriptive rather than analytical.
  3. noun
    In music, a piece that tells a story or depicts a series of events, often through instrumental means.

🔗 Details

Word forms

countable Plural: narratives

Collocations

narrative arcnarrative structurenarrative voicecompelling narrativenarrative threadnarrative fictionnarrative form

Derivatives

narratenarrationnarratornarrativelynarrative-driven

Synonyms

storyaccounttalechroniclereportdescription

Commonly confused

narration
EN: 'Narration' refers to the act or process of telling a story; 'narrative' refers to the story itself or its structural form.
story
EN: 'Story' is informal and general; 'narrative' is more formal and often emphasizes the structure or technique of storytelling.

Spelling tips

EN: Remember 'narrative' has a double 'r' (nar-r-a-tive). A common error is writing 'narative' with only one 'r'.

💬 Examples

  1. The novel's narrative follows three generations of a family living in the American South.

  2. Her mastery of narrative made her one of the most celebrated authors of her generation.

  3. The government pushed a narrative that the economic crisis was caused by external factors.

  4. The film's non-linear narrative confused some viewers but delighted critics.

  5. The dominant narrative of progress has been challenged by postmodern thinkers.

  6. The narrative structure of the poem shifts between past and present tense.

  7. The report was more narrative than analytical, simply listing events without drawing conclusions.

  8. Chopin's ballades are considered some of the finest examples of musical narrative.