Story — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

Story (noun) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

1. a work with imaginary characters and events that is shorter and usually less complex than a novel

   "he's a talented writer, but his quirky stories will never find a wide readership"

   similar: narrative, novelette, novella, short story, tale, yarn
   related: bedtime story, exemplum, fable, parable, anecdote, joke, fairy tale, folktale, legend, myth, romance, account, annals, chronicle, history, record, report

2. a brief account of something interesting that happened especially to one personally

   "Grandpa is always telling stories about what it was like growing up on a farm"

   similar: anecdote, tale, yarn
   related: episode, event, happening, incident, occurrence, recital, recitation

3. a report of recent events or facts not previously known

   "a story in the morning paper about plans for a new library"

   similar: 411 (slang), advice(s), gen (chiefly British), info, information, intelligence, item, news, tidings, uncos (chiefly Scottish), word
   related: announcement, bulletin, communication, correspondence, dispatch, message, reportage, dope, lowdown, scoop, tidbit, tip, gossip, rumor, tale, tattle, feedback, disinformation, propaganda

4. a relating of events usually in the order in which they happened

   "gave us the whole story of the accident"

   similar: account, chronicle, chronology, commentary, history, narration, narrative, record, report
   related: version, deposition, documentation, testament, testimonial, testimony, witness, annals, blog, diary, journal, log, logbook, memoir, minutes, procès-verbal, anecdote, tale, yarn, epic, saga, gest, romance, recital, recitation, case history, case study

5. a rumor or report of a personal or sensational nature

   "stories going around that the old man had died with thousands of dollars hidden under his mattress"

   similar: canard, tale, whisper
   related: dirt, gossip, scuttlebutt, talebearing, talk, tattle, dirty laundry, dirty linen, defamation, libel, slander, hearsay, fable, fabrication, fairy tale, falsehood, falsity, fib, lie, mendacity, prevarication, untruth, whopper

6. a statement known by its maker to be untrue and made in order to deceive

   "she tells stories just to get attention, so don't believe that stuff about her father being somebody important"

   similar: fable, fabrication, fairy tale, falsehood, falsity, fib, lie, mendacity, prevarication, tale, taradiddle, untruth, whopper
   related: distortion, exaggeration, half-truth, ambiguity, equivocation, obliquity, defamation, libel, slander, perjury, bluff, fiction, pose, pretense, humbug, jive, nonsense, canard, fallacy, misconception, myth, falsification, misinformation, misreport, misrepresentation, misstatement, deceit, deceitfulness, dishonesty, duplicity, fraudulence
   opposite: truth
   near: fact, truism, verity, honesty, truthfulness, veracity, authentication, confirmation, substantiation, validation, verification

7. the unfolding of events in a dramatic or literary work

   "the story proceeds at a pace that many readers will find a bit too leisurely"

   similar: action, plot, story line
   related: subplot, arc, development, design, outline, plan, scheme, argument, mythos, subject, theme

8. position with regard to conditions and circumstances

   "management is trying to figure out what the story is with the accident down in the warehouse"

   similar: ball game, deal, footing, picture, posture, scene, situation, status
   related: rank, standing, place, spot, state, score, status quo