story
story
Pronunciation
Sto- /stɔː/:
/s/ - voiceless alveolar sibilant
/t/ - voiceless alveolar plosive
/ɔː/ - open-mid back rounded vowel (as in "thought")
-ry /ri/:
/r/ - voiced alveolar approximant
/i/ - close front unrounded vowel (as in "see")
Word Form Variations
Singular Noun: story
Plural Noun: stories
Adjective (rare, typically attributive): story (e.g., "story time," "story arc")
Verb (less common, usually "to story" something): story (present tense), stories (3rd person singular present), storied (past tense, past participle), storying (present participle)
Definitions, Synonyms and Antonyms
Noun
Definition 1: A narrated account of events, either real or imagined, typically designed to entertain, inform, or convey a message.
Synonyms: narrative, tale, anecdote, account, fable, chronicle, history
Antonyms: (No direct antonyms, but concepts like "fact" or "truth" might be considered in opposition to fictional stories.)
Definition 2: A sequence of events that unfolds over time, often implying a particular progression or plot.
Synonyms: plot, storyline, scenario, development, progression
Antonyms: (No direct antonyms, perhaps "stasis" or "lack of development" could be considered conceptually opposite.)
Definition 3: A floor or level of a building, typically above the ground floor.
Synonyms: floor, level, stratum, tier
Antonyms: (No direct antonyms for this architectural sense.)
Definition 4 (Informal): A lie or a false statement; an untrue account intended to deceive.
Synonyms: fabrication, falsehood, fib, untruth, prevarication
Antonyms: truth, fact, veracity, honesty
Verb
Definition 1: To narrate or recount an event or series of events.
Synonyms: narrate, tell, recount, chronicle, report, relate
Antonyms: (No direct antonyms; perhaps "conceal" or "suppress" could be considered opposite actions to telling a story.)
Definition 2 (Less common): To adorn or decorate with historical or legendary narratives.
Synonyms: illustrate, embellish, bedeck
Antonyms: strip, plain, unadorned
Examples of Use
Books:
"Call me Ishmael. Some years ago – never mind how long precisely – having little or no money in my purse, and nothing particular to interest me on shore, I thought I would sail about a little and see the watery part of the world." (Herman Melville, Moby Dick, 1851) - Here, "story" is implied as the overarching narrative of the book.
"The classic hero's journey story structure is evident in many ancient myths and modern blockbusters alike, providing a predictable yet satisfying arc for audiences."
Newspapers:
"The front-page story detailed the recent parliamentary elections and their surprising outcome." (The Daily Nation)
"Local residents shared their stories of resilience following the recent floods, highlighting community efforts to rebuild." (Standard Newspaper)
Online Publications:
"This interactive data story explores the global rise of renewable energy sources over the past decade." (Our World in Data)
"Read the full story of how a small startup revolutionized the tech industry with its innovative product." (TechCrunch)
"An in-depth story on the challenges facing coral reefs worldwide was published today, drawing attention to conservation efforts." (National Geographic online)
Various Entertainment Mediums and Platforms:
Film: "The story of Oppenheimer captivated audiences, exploring the complex life of the physicist." (Universal Pictures)
Television Series: "Fans are eagerly awaiting the next season to see how the intricate story of House of the Dragon unfolds." (HBO)
Video Games: "The developers of Elden Ring crafted an expansive open-world with a rich, challenging story for players to discover." (FromSoftware)
Podcasts: "In this week's episode, we delve into the untold story behind the infamous art heist." (Lore Podcast)
Social Media: "Many users now share short video stories on Instagram and TikTok, offering glimpses into their daily lives." (Instagram, ongoing)
General Public Discourse:
"I heard a fascinating story about how they discovered that ancient artifact."
"Don't give me that story again; I know you're just making excuses." (Informal use, meaning a lie)
"The building has three stories, with offices on the top two." (Architectural use)
"He always tells the best stories around the campfire."
10 Quotes Using Story
"Life is a story told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing." (William Shakespeare, Macbeth)
"We tell ourselves storys in order to live." (Joan Didion, The White Album)
"There are only two or three human storys, and they go on repeating themselves as fiercely as if they had never happened before." (Willa Cather, O Pioneers!)
"The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown, and the oldest and strongest kind of unknown is the story." (H.P. Lovecraft, Supernatural Horror in Literature)
"Every life is a story." (Mary Catherine Bateson)
"The story so far: In the beginning the Universe was created." (Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy)
"We are all the heroes of our own story." (Mary McCarthy)
"A good story is a good story no matter how it's told." (Frank Capra)
"The unexamined life is not worth living, but the unlived life is not worth examining, or telling its story." (Garrison Keillor)
"A story has no beginning or end: arbitrarily one chooses a moment from which to look forward or back." (Graham Greene, The End of the Affair)
Etymology
The word "story" has a fascinating journey through language!
It ultimately comes from the ancient Greek word "historia," which originally meant "inquiry," "research," or "knowledge gained by inquiry." Think of someone investigating something, asking questions, and then understanding what happened. This Greek word gave us our modern word "history."
When "historia" traveled into Latin, it became "historia" there too, keeping a similar meaning of "a narrative of past events, an account, or a tale."
From Latin, it moved into Old French as "estoire." This is where it started to split into two main paths in English.
One path led to our word "history" (which we got directly from Latin or Old French), keeping the meaning of factual accounts of the past.
The other path, through a different pronunciation and spelling in Old French, became "estorie" and then eventually "story" in English. The earliest known uses of "story" in English, around the 13th and 14th centuries, were often used to mean:
A narrative of events, either true or fictional. This is very close to how we use it today for tales, fables, or even news reports.
A historical account. For a period, "story" and "history" were sometimes used interchangeably, or "story" could refer to a specific part of history.
A floor of a building. This meaning developed from the idea of "layers" or "series," possibly because of the way narratives are structured in layers, or from architectural terms where layers were depicted in artwork.
So, in simple terms, "story" evolved from a word meaning "inquiry" or "research" into a "factual account" (which is now mostly "history"), but also into "a telling of events," whether true or made-up, which is its most common meaning today. The "floor of a building" meaning is a curious side-branch that also stuck!
Phrases + Idioms Containing Story
Here is a list of common phrases and idioms using the word "story":
The whole story: The complete and unedited account of something.
Long story short: To summarize a lengthy account concisely.
Tell me another story: An expression of disbelief, implying what's being said is untrue.
That's the story of my life: An exclamation used to describe a recurring unfortunate or frustrating situation.
A likely story: Said sarcastically to indicate that one does not believe what has been said.
To cut a long story short: See "Long story short."
To make a long story short: See "Long story short."
Back story: The history or background of a character or situation.
Human interest story: A news story that focuses on people and their experiences, often designed to evoke emotion.
To get the story straight: To ensure all details of an account are accurate and consistent.
To spin a story: To present an account in a particular way, often to influence opinion or to deceive.
A cock and bull story: An unbelievable or absurd tale presented as true.
Vocabulary-Based Stories from SEA
Source Information
Definition of story from The Academic Glossary at Self Exploration Academy, a Urikville Press Publication. © All rights reserved.
