short story

as in tale
a work with imaginary characters and events that is shorter and usually less complex than a novel her very first short story was accepted for publication in a local journal

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of short story Lest readers think this sounds too much like Brokeback Mountain — also adapted from a prize-winning short story — Mescal has made his disagreement clear. Tom Tapp, Deadline, 24 July 2025 Molly Price, Alison Bartlett, and Chris Cooper also star in the film, which is based on a short story by Ben Shattuck. EW.com, 24 July 2025 One notable exception was a short story that was both hugely popular and highly novel. Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 17 July 2025 Rosetta Stone has some good short stories, along with some streaming classes and videos that are much more engaging than Transparent Language Online's. PC Magazine, 16 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for short story
Recent Examples of Synonyms for short story
Noun
  • That tale is just one of many in the story that don’t show Joel in an especially flattering light.
    David Browne, Rolling Stone, 18 July 2025
  • The Coldplay public humiliation is a cautionary tale of atrophied American privacy.
    The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 18 July 2025
Noun
  • Little Dream's cake also featured some butterfly detailing, as seen on Khloé's story.
    Jen Juneau, People.com, 29 July 2025
  • His story hit just as Pastel QAnon — a softer, Instagram-friendly offshoot of the movement — was flourishing.
    Kevin Dolak, HollywoodReporter, 15 July 2025
Noun
  • Each of the first four novels tells the love story of a hockey player, with the fifth being a novella collection of all four couples.
    Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 25 July 2025
  • Unsettling and lovely at once, this horror novella is a razor-sharp and bewitching fairytale about discovering the darkness in the world, as well as the darkness within oneself.
    Kalie Cassidy July 25, Literary Hub, 25 July 2025
Noun
  • But Trump is a control freak with his political narrative.
    Chris Brennan, USA Today, 31 July 2025
  • Their search for those grandchildren, and everything that the search unravelled, is the subject of the book, which for the first time brings the plight of these women into an English-language nonfiction narrative.
    Graciela Mochkofsky, New Yorker, 31 July 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Short story.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/short%20story. Accessed 7 Aug. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on short story

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!