Storylike

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Having qualities or features similar to a narrative or tale
2. Exhibiting the structure or style typical of storytelling
3. Showing traits that make something appear to be like a story

Etymology: "Storylike" is about as transparent as English compounds get: "story" joined to the suffix "-like," which attaches to nouns to mean "resembling" or "having the qualities of" the noun. Adding "-like" to a noun to form an adjective is a productive pattern, so you can build "lifelike," "dreamlike," or "bell-like" on the same model. The word's meaning follows directly from that construction. Something storylike has the shape, sequence, or texture of a narrative, even though it may not be one, such as a sequence of events that unfolds with a beginning, a rising tension, and a resolution. The suffix does the work here, so the word needs no special history to explain it.

Synonyms: narrative, fictional, tale-like, mythical

Antonyms: non-narrative, factual, nonfictional