nar·ra·tive
ˈner-ə-tiv 
ˈna-rə-
1
b
: a way of presenting or understanding a situation or series of events that reflects and promotes a particular point of view or set of values
The rise of the Tea Party and the weakness of the Obama economy have fueled a Republican narrative about Big Government as a threat to liberty …—
Michael Grunwald
Michael GrunwaldThe media narrative around Kelly's appointment had two central ideas … : He would calm and professionalize the White House, and he would provide a more measured leadership style than his boss.—Perry Bacon, Jr.
Perry Bacon, Jr.2
: the art or practice of narration
… depended not on narrative but on intensity derived from the verity to make the book jump.—Stanley Kauffmann
Stanley Kauffmann3
: the representation in art of an event or story
also
: an example of such a representation
the narrative of St. Joan of Arc
narratively
adverb
1
: having the form of a story or representing a story
a narrative poem
narrative paintings
2
: of or relating to the process of telling a story
the author's narrative style
the novel's narrative structure
Synonyms
Examples of narrative in a Sentence
Noun
He is writing a detailed narrative of his life on the island.
People have questioned the accuracy of his narrative.
Recent Examples on the Web
Susie Violet Ward, Forbes, 20 Jan. 2025
However, now the scandal has spread out of Britain to U.S. staff and American publications, the pro-Meghan narrative no longer contains a baked in explanation for the existence of the anti-Meghan perspective.
—Justin Gest, Newsweek, 20 Jan. 2025
Antonia Hitchens, The New Yorker, 20 Jan. 2025
His coy narrative voice and audacious insouciance, thinly disguised under a patina of classical Oxford education and self-deprecating wit, amuse the reader for several hundred pages.
—Foreign Affairs, 14 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for narrative 
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Noun
However, as institutional players co-opt its narrative, its fundamental properties are threatened.
—Susie Violet Ward, Forbes, 20 Jan. 2025
However, now the scandal has spread out of Britain to U.S. staff and American publications, the pro-Meghan narrative no longer contains a baked in explanation for the existence of the anti-Meghan perspective.
—Justin Gest, Newsweek, 20 Jan. 2025
Adjective
Back then, the weather was an easy way to contrive narrative tension for a story whose ending felt too obvious.
—Antonia Hitchens, The New Yorker, 20 Jan. 2025
His coy narrative voice and audacious insouciance, thinly disguised under a patina of classical Oxford education and self-deprecating wit, amuse the reader for several hundred pages.
—Foreign Affairs, 14 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for narrative
Dictionary Entries Near narrative
Cite this Entry
“Narrative.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/narrative. Accessed 26 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
narrative
noun
nar·ra·tive
ˈnar-ət-iv
1
: something (as a story) that is told or written
2
: the art or practice of telling stories
narrative
adjective
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