narrative
/ˈnær.ə.tɪv/
CommonA crafted story or framing pushed to shape public perception of events.
Almost always implies manipulation. 'Controlling the narrative' means deciding what story people believe. Saying someone is 'pushing a narrative' is an accusation of propaganda.
Real-world examples4 examples
| # | Example | What it means | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | They are pushing a narrative and hoping nobody checks the actual data. | Someone is promoting a misleading story that contradicts evidence. | x, 2024 |
| 02 | The narrative changed overnight once the video came out. | The story people were told collapsed when evidence contradicted it. | reddit, 2024 |
| 03 | Everyone has a narrative. The question is whose matches reality. | All parties frame events in their favor. Truth is about whose framing is accurate. | tiktok, 2024 |
| 04 | Saying 'that's just a narrative' is itself a narrative. | Dismissing someone's account as constructed is itself a framing choice. | x, 2023 |
Use it when
- Accusing media or institutions of crafting a misleading story.
- Describing how events are being framed to serve someone's interest.
- Pointing out that different groups tell different stories about the same facts.
Do not use it when
- You literally mean a story in a book or film.
- Someone is just giving their honest account of what happened.
- You mean a simple factual summary without framing.
Narrative vs agenda
narrative
A narrative is the crafted story used to shape perception.
VS
agenda
An agenda is the hidden goal the narrative serves.
Origin and context
Standard literary term meaning a story or account. Internet culture shifted it toward implying deliberate manipulation. Became a political buzzword in the 2010s as media criticism intensified on both left and right.
- First seen
- 2010s
- Confidence
- medium
Cite this page
Use this stable URL to reference the entry.
https://slang.fyi/narrativeUpdated: 2026-08-25License: CC BY 4.0