in medias res

/ɪn ˌmiːdiəs ˈɹeɪz//ˌmiːdiæs//ˈrɛz//ɪn ˌmiːdiə ˈɹeɪ/

adverb

In the middle of a storyline.

“This novel begins in medias res.”

Similar
in-between
OriginLatin in mediās rēs →
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Meanings

adverbin medias res (not comparable)
  1. not comparableIn the middle of a storyline.

    This novel begins in medias res.

    2 more examples

    As in a good epic, Ulysses begins in medias res and fills us in on Stephen's life since the end of A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by flashback; and by the flashback of memory we are given the story of Molly's and Bloom's lives.

    2008, Don Gifford, Robert J. Seidman, Ulysses Annotated: Notes for James Joyce's Ulysses, University of California Press, →ISBN, page 2

    Homer begins in medias res. Then, well into the poem, he takes us back to tell us about the events that make up the beginning of the story. The Odyssey, for example, begins in the tenth year of Odysseus's wanderings; […]

    2012, H. David Brumble, Classical Myths and Legends in the Middle Ages and Renaissance […] , Routledge, →ISBN

    Synonyms: in-between

adjectivein medias res (not comparable)
  1. not comparableBeginning in the middle of its storyline: said of a work of literature or a film.

    Although not strictly in medias res, the film uses flashbacks extensively.

nounin medias res (uncountable)
  1. uncountableNarrative presented in medias res.

    Anyway, the characters have been introduced but by no means established. I know Final Fantasy’s always been big on in medias res, but even the most basic questions about the plot remain unanswered. Who the fuck are these people? What is going on? Why should I care? Can I stop playing now? Please?

    2010 (March 31ˢᵗ, 5:00pm): Ben “Yahtzee” Croshaw, “Final Fantasy XIII” reviewed by Zero Punctuation, 2:03–2:16

Synonyms & antonyms

adverbIn the middle of a storyline.

Similar
in-between

Origin

  1. Latinin mediās rēs
  2. Englishin medias res

Borrowed from Latin in mediās rēs (literally “into the middle of things”).

More words from Latin

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

German in medias res
  • in medias resin the middle of a storyline
Polish in medias res
  • in medias resin the middle of a storyline
Spanish in medias res
  • in medias resin the middle of a storyline
Cite this entry
APA

in medias res. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/in%20medias%20res

MLA

“in medias res.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/in%20medias%20res. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “in medias res,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/in%20medias%20res.

Source: in medias res on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.