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storyline

storyline

107 2.8
A series of events in a book, film, or play that form the main plot
  • noun
  • /ˈstɔːrilaɪn/
translation icon : trama
  • The movie's storyline revolves around a young girl discovering her magical powers.
  • plot and storyline
  • main storyline
  • develop the storyline

Production told me that my storyline is beautiful.

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Examples

  • Big budget, quite classic storylines, compelling protagonists, good enemies.

  • Well, it deviated from the original storyline.

  • Production told me that my storyline is beautiful.

  • I would say the storyline let me down there.

  • We're doing a complete spin off of that storyline and it's amazing.

  • What did you think of the storyline?

  • However, the film series makes significant changes to the storyline of the novel.

    Academic text (2012)
  • In fact, family bonds and connections are central to every storyline of the series.

    Academic text (2013)
  • We'd just need a really compelling storyline.

  • In the novel and in the film, the two storylines are interwoven with one another.

    Academic text (1992)

Synonyms

story
vsstoryline
1.0

An account of events told to entertain or inform

is used for the main sequence in narrative works rather than general accounts
tale
vsstoryline
591 1.0

A story that tells about events, often imaginary, in books or by people

is about the main event series in a work rather than a fanciful telling
narrative
vsstoryline
336 3.9

A story that describes connected events

focuses specifically on the central series of events in a work
plot
vsstoryline
215 2.5

The sequence of events that make up the main story

focuses on the whole series of events rather than strict ordering
plotline
vsstoryline
9 3.5

A series of events in a story, like in a book or film

is limited to the main continuous series rather than a partial section
plot line
vsstoryline
4 3.2

The main story of a book, film, or play

is a general term for the same main series of events

How Complex

saga
  • Literature
84 6.4
storyline
107 2.8
plot
215 2.5
anecdote
102 4.1
incident
2.7

Surface Forms

storyline singular
storylines plural

Morphology

storyline = story + line (transparent) = story + line

Clear compound of 'story' and 'line' meaning the narrative thread or sequence of events, easily inferable by learners who know the base words.

Etymology

Storyline comes from two simple words: story 'a tale' and line 'a path'. So a storyline is like the 'path' that joins a series of events and shows the main plot of a book, film, or play.