Phrase guide

environmental storytelling

noun · phrase · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

No pronunciation record was provided for this word.

1

noun

Meaning 1

The art of conveying narrative elements through the game's environment rather than direct exposition; the method of using a space's design, objects, and subtle details to create a story that players can piece together on their own, making them active participants in the narrative.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable

Topics: video-games

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

phrase

Meaning 2

Accompanying a photograph or screenshot, noting that a preceding event, or sequence of events, can be easily inferred or imagined.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: Internet, humorous

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From environmental + storytelling. The phrase gained prominence as an internet meme and caption for images on Twitter in the early 2020s. (See KYM.)