synopsis

synopsis — noun

1. a brief written or spoken account that covers the most important parts of a long

1.nounB2
Definition

a brief written or spoken account that covers the most important parts of a longer work, such as a book, movie, or play

Example

Before committing to the 500-page biography, Ishaan read the synopsis on the back cover.

read the synopsis before [deciding/committing]

For her final project, Manuela wrote a synopsis of each chapter she had studied.

wrote a synopsis of [work]

Common collocations
  • write a synopsis
  • synopsis of a book/film/novel
  • brief synopsis
  • plot synopsis
  • chapter synopsis
Synonyms
  • summary

    the most general term; synopsis is slightly more formal and often implies a condensed version of a creative or narrative work

  • outline

    focuses on the structure of main points rather than the narrative flow

  • abstract

    specifically used for academic articles and research papers

  • digest

    a compilation of condensed versions, often of multiple works

Grammar Patterns

synopsis of [work]

Usage Note

Common in publishing, film, and academic contexts. Often followed by the preposition 'of' to introduce the work being summarised, as in 'a synopsis of the film'. The plural form is synopses.

Word family

  • synopses
    nounB2
  • synoptic
    adjectiveC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four words describe condensed versions of longer material, but they differ in scope and context. 'Summary' is the broadest term and fits most situations. 'Synopsis' is more specific to creative or narrative works (novels, films, plays) and implies a structured overview that preserves the sequence of events. 'Outline' emphasises the logical structure or plan of a piece, without necessarily covering the full narrative. 'Abstract' is restricted to academic and research contexts, where it concisely states a paper's purpose, methods, and findings. 'Digest' often refers to a collection of shortened pieces — such as a news digest — rather than a single work. For example, you would read a synopsis of a film but an abstract of a scientific article, and a writer might create an outline before drafting a novel.

summary ↗outline ↗abstract ↗digest ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Prepositions

  • of [work]

Etymology

GreekLatinEnglish

From Greek syn- ('together') and opsis ('sight' or 'view'), so a synopsis was originally 'a view of the whole at once'. Late Latin adopted it as synopsis, and English took the word in the 1600s to mean a short written overview.