Narrator: Definition, Usage & Examples

Meaning 1：storyteller (narrator)

narrator 🔊

/nəˈreɪtər/

The person or character who tells a story in a book, film, or documentary, guiding the audience through the events.

storyteller 🔊

➕

/ˈstɔːriˌtelər/

The voice or character that relates the events of a story to the audience or reader.

📁 Category：Culture & History 🔖 Level：Intermediate

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Root Explanation

From Latin 'narrare' (to tell, recount) + the agent suffix '-or' (one who does).

💡 Mnemonic

A narrator NARRATES. Think of a person at a microphone telling a tale.

📖 Example

The narrator of the audiobook has such a calming voice that it makes the story come alive. 🔊 The narrator of the audiobook has such a calming voice that it makes the story come alive.

🔗 Collocations

unreliable narrator – A storyteller whose credibility is compromised, often used in literature and film.

first-person narrator – A narrator who is a character within the story, using "I" or "we".

omniscient narrator – A narrator who knows all the thoughts, actions, and events in the story.

🔄 Synonyms

storyteller (n.) – A person who tells stories.

chronicler (n.) – A person who writes accounts of historical events in order of time.

commentator (n.) – A person who describes events, especially on television or radio, as they happen.

🚫 Antonyms

listener (n.) – A person who listens, especially to someone speaking.

🌱 Derivatives

narrate (v.) – To give a spoken or written account of events; to tell a story.

narration (n.) – The action or process of narrating a story.

📖 Cultural Story

The word entered English via French from Latin 'narrator' (a teller, relater), related to 'gnarus' (knowing). Historically, it distinguished the voice telling the story from the author or characters, becoming crucial for literary analysis and cinematic devices.