narrator

or nar·rat·er

[ nar-ey-ter, na-rey‑, nar-uh‑ ]

noun

1. a person who gives an account or tells the story of events, experiences, etc.
2. a person who adds spoken commentary to a film, television program, slide show, etc.

narrator

/ nəˈreɪtə /

noun

1. a person who tells a story or gives an account of something
2. a person who speaks in accompaniment of a film, television programme, etc

narrator

1. A person who tells a story; in literature, the voice that an author takes on to tell a story. This voice can have a personality quite different from the author's. For example, in his story “The Tell-Tale Heart,” Edgar Allan Poe makes his narrator a raving lunatic.

Word History and Origins

Origin of narrator¹

First recorded in 1610–20; from Latin narrātor “narrator, historian” narrate ( def ), -or ²( def )

Example Sentences

The narrator of Baldwin’s story watches from the audience as his brother, a pianist, plays onstage.

From Los Angeles Times

Our expert content team has a way of sprinkling soothing magic on all of our Sleep Stories through the narrator's cadence to the background music to get people to lull to sleep.

From Salon

“You see how challenging it was for her to confront so much of her own story. It’s also a window into her as an unreliable narrator.”

From Los Angeles Times

But the narrator rebels against her mother's oppression: "Oh mama, I'm just having fun/On the stage in my heels/It's where I belong."

From Salon

“It’s hard to believe, but it’s true,” the narrator says.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• author
• chronicler
• novelist
• writer