Plot
Plot noun - The unfolding of events in a dramatic or literary work.
Usage example: wrote novels in which the plot was always subordinate to the characterizations
Theme is a synonym for plot in story line topic. In some cases you can use "Theme" instead a noun "Plot", when it comes to topics like subject, story, language.
Theme
Theme noun - A major object of interest or concern (as in a discussion or artistic composition).
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Synonyms for Theme
Plot is a synonym for theme in story line topic. Sometimes you can use "Plot" instead a noun "Theme".
Nearby Word: thematic
How words are described
| similar | similar plot | similar theme |
| usual | usual plot | usual theme |
| common | common plot | common theme |
| complete | complete plot | complete theme |
| Other adjectives: standard, original, actual, entire, real, big, dark, main, important, major, general, primary, basic, central, different, recurring, overall, underlying, ongoing, overarching. | ||
Both words in one sentence
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When the entire theme and plot are tacked on afterwards, the fan site BoardGameGeek.com refers to this as the "theme stapler".
Source: Excuse Plot - Deconstruction Fic is a specific sub-trope for examples of Fan Fic with a Deconstruction theme or plot.
Source: Deconstructor Fleet - A large part of the plot and theme of The Stand by Stephen King is whether or not this will happen to what remains of civilization after the superflu.
Source: Apocalypse Not
Cite this Source
Theme and Plot. (2016). Retrieved 2026, August 13, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/plot/theme
Plot & Theme. N.p., 2016. Web. 13 Aug. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/plot/theme>.
Theme or Plot. 2016. Accessed August 13, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/plot/theme.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "plot" and "theme" have occurred on timeline