🇮🇹Italian Source WordCode: IT

antefatto

Pronunciation / Transliteration: an.teˈfat.to

🇬🇧 Direct English Meaning:
Backstory/ˈbækˌstɔː.ri/
nounCEFR B2 (Upper)Top #8500 frequency
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🇮🇹 Example Sentence in Italian:

"L'antefatto spiega le motivazioni del cattivo."

Comprehensive Definitions & Senses

2 senses
As noun
  1. 1

    A history or background created for a fictional character in a story, movie, or video game that explains their current behavior and motivations.

    "The novel provides a tragic backstory that explains why the villain is so bitter."
  2. 2

    The past events or background context relating to a real person, situation, or news event.

    "Journalists investigated the politician's complex backstory before publishing the profile."

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Antonyms & Contrasting Words (1)

Linguistic Origin & Historical Etymology

The term is a compound of 'back' (referring to what is behind or in the past) and 'story' (a narrative or account), originating in the mid-20th century within American media and literary circles. Initially used primarily in journalism and scriptwriting to describe the background information of a news subject or fictional character, it has since broadened to general usage in popular culture.

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