Dictionary

backstory en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• (Southern-England) audio
• /ˈbækˌstɔɹi/ (General-American)
• /ˈbækˌstɔːɹi/ (Received-Pronunciation)

Etymology

From back- (prefix meaning ‘in, into, or towards the past’) + story.

Meanings

1. The previous experiences and life of a person, specifically (narratology, especially in film, television) a character in a dramatic work.
   • What’s the backstory of our new colleague?
   • Prince Harry may yet turn out to be the crown’s best insurance policy. By marrying Meghan Markle, he is linking royalty with a 21st-century celebrity who has a backstory that many people in Britain can identify with. 2017 December 27, “Editorial: The Guardian view on Prince Harry: the monarchy’s best insurance policy”, in Katharine Viner, editor, The Guardian, London: Guardian News & Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 29 Apr 2023:
   • These backstories cast the characters' behavior in a new light: of course Gertrude would promptly marry the man who saved her from abuse; of course Ophelia would be desperate and indiscreet in seeking Hamlet's love. 2004 January 15, Kelly Kleiman, “Her side of the story [review of Ophelia by Bryony Lavery, performed by the Camenae Ensemble Theatre Company]”, in Chicago Reader, Chicago, Ill.: Chicago Reader, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 26 May 2022:
   • Agent Lyla: Enough back story! / Dr. Doofenshmirtz: Actually, that's not, uh … that's not really a back story, it's just expositional flashback. It doesn't, uh, have any childhood trauma, it's doesn't really inform who he is, it's not … it's just flashback. There's a difference. It's subtle, but there's a difference. 2013 March 1, Kaz [i.e., Kazimieras Gediminas Prapuolenis]; Kim Roberson; Aliki Theofilopoulos Grafft; John Mathot, “Sidetracked”, in Phineas and Ferb, season 4, episode 7, spoken by Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz (Dan Povenmire):
   • Inexplicably, and at great risk to the integrity of the movie, the filmmakers have burdened him with a psychological back story pulled out of a folder in some studio filing cabinet. Why does [Willy] Wonka spend his days confecting sweets? 2005 July 15, A[nthony] O[liver] Scott, “Looking for the candy, finding a back story [review of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005)]”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 08 Oct 2023:
2. A fictitious account of a person's history designed to conceal their actual history and motives.

Forms

Coordinates

origin story · pourquoi story · exposition · origin myth

Synonyms

cover story · background story

Translations (35)

de Hintergrundgeschichte (previous experiences and life of a person) · af agtergrondinligting (previous experiences and life of a person) · cmn 背景故事 (previous experiences and life of a person) · hu háttértörténet (previous experiences and life of a person) · sv bakgrundsberättelse (previous experiences and life of a person) · pl historia (previous experiences and life of a person) · sv bakgrundshistoria (previous experiences and life of a person) · uk передісто́рія (previous experiences and life of a person) · ja バックストーリー (previous experiences and life of a person) · af agtergrondverhaal (previous experiences and life of a person) · fi taustatarina (previous experiences and life of a person) · ja 裏話 (previous experiences and life of a person) · ru предысто́рия (previous experiences and life of a person) · ms latar tempat (previous experiences and life of a person) · pl legenda (fictitious account of a person's history designed to conceal their actual history and motives) · af agtergrond (previous experiences and life of a person) · ar خلفية درامية (previous experiences and life of a person) · ja 背景 (previous experiences and life of a person) · bn পিছনের গল্প (previous experiences and life of a person) · fr couverture (fictitious account of a person's history designed to conceal their actual history and motives) · pt história de fundo (previous experiences and life of a person) · ru леге́нда (fictitious account of a person's history designed to conceal their actual history and motives) · ko 뒷이야기 (previous experiences and life of a person) · fi peitetarina (fictitious account of a person's history designed to conceal their actual history and motives) · hu előtörténet (previous experiences and life of a person) · es historia de fondo (previous experiences and life of a person) · pa ਪਿੱਠ-ਕਹਾਣੀ (previous experiences and life of a person) · de Backstory (previous experiences and life of a person) · mk предисто́рија (previous experiences and life of a person) · pl realia (previous experiences and life of a person) · pl przedakcja (previous experiences and life of a person) · fa پیشینه داستان (previous experiences and life of a person) · de Vorgeschichte (previous experiences and life of a person) · fr toile de fond (previous experiences and life of a person) · yue 背景故仔 (previous experiences and life of a person)