# narrative

Pronunciation: say "NA-ruh-tiv" /ˈnæɹətɪv/

## Noun

1. The substance of what is told: the content of a story or account.
   - Simple: The content of a story: everything that actually gets told.
   - _Readers complained that the narrative dragged in the middle chapters._
   - _The narrative grows tense as the two travelers near the border._
2. A representation of events or a story shaped to promote a particular point of view.
   - Simple: A version of events told in a way that pushes one point of view.
   - _The campaign worked hard to control the narrative around the scandal._
   - _Rival newspapers offered competing narratives of the same protest._
3. The orderly, step-by-step telling of an event or series of events.
   - Simple: The act of telling about events in order, one after another.
   - _His calm narrative of the rescue helped investigators piece together the timeline._
   - _The memoir offers a detailed narrative of her years at sea._
4. The way a story, whether fictional or real, is conveyed within a body of work.
   - Simple: The way a story is told in a book, film, or other work.
   - _The author experiments with a fragmented narrative across the three sections._
   - _Documentary narrative often relies on interviews to carry the story forward._

## Adjective

5. Telling a story; presenting connected events in the form of a story.
   - Simple: Telling a story rather than just listing facts or describing things.
   - _She wrote a narrative account of the expedition rather than a dry report._
   - _The mural has a narrative quality, each panel pushing the tale forward._
6. Relating to narration or to the act of telling a story.
   - Simple: Having to do with the way a story is told.
   - _The professor analyzed the narrative structure of the epic poem._
   - _Narrative voice remains a central concern in the study of fiction._
7. Given to talking too much, especially at great length.
   - Simple: Talking far too much and liking to keep talking.
   - _Their narrative neighbor leaned over the fence and talked about the weather, his bad knee, and the price of gas until they made an excuse to go inside._
   - _The old captain was narrative to a fault and would talk to anyone within earshot._

## Origin

Borrowed from Middle Scots narrative, from Middle French narratif, from Latin narrātīvus, which comes from narrō meaning "to narrate."

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/narrative (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).