Meaning & use
in medias res
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Meanings
phrasefixed phrasetechnicalliterary
Starting a story in the middle of the action instead of at the beginning, so earlier events are explained later.
Grammar: Often follows 'begin' or 'start' and can also be used as an adjective phrase: an in medias res opening.
Patterns
- begin in medias res
- start something in medias res
The epic opens in medias res, with the hero already far from home.
The film begins in medias res with a car chase, and we learn the cause only later.
Many thrillers start in medias res to grab the reader's attention at once.
phrasefixed phraseformalhumorous
Right in the middle of events, without any introduction or background, in ordinary speech or writing.
Grammar: Used loosely and slightly jokingly outside literature: we joined the meeting in medias res.
Patterns
- jump in medias res
I walked into the lecture in medias res and had no idea what the topic was.
The podcast drops listeners in medias res, assuming they know the story so far.
He came into the argument in medias res and misunderstood everything.
Common combinations
- begin in medias res
- The novel begins in medias res, during a fierce storm at sea.
- open in medias res
- The series opens in medias res with a kidnapping.
- start in medias res
- Good teachers sometimes start in medias res to get students curious.
- plunge in medias res
- The reader is plunged in medias res into a war already underway.
Synonyms and how they differ
- in the thick of things
- This idiom describes being in the busiest part of any activity, whereas 'in medias res' is mostly about the way a narrative is structured.
- midstream
- Midstream means halfway through a process and fits any task, while 'in medias res' stresses starting a story at that point.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: in medias res or in media?
in medias res vs in media
'In media' is not the Latin phrase; it just means 'in the media'. The Latin has 'medias res', meaning 'the middle of things'.
Practice
A novel opens with the detective already chasing a suspect, and the earlier crime is explained in chapter three. This opening is best described as:
Choose one answer.
'In medias res' means starting in the middle of the action. 'Ab initio' means from the beginning, which is the opposite of what happens here.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “in medias res”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.