Plural of “synopsis”

The plural of synopsis is synopses.

Why

"Synopsis" comes from Greek "synopsis," meaning a general view or seeing-together, built from "syn-" (together) and "opsis" (a view or sight) — the same "opsis" root behind "optic" and "optical." As a Greek -is noun, it follows the same plural pattern as "ellipsis" and "oasis," replacing -is with -es.

The word's meaning — a brief summary that lets you take in a whole work "at a glance" — is itself a fitting reflection of its etymology, since "synopsis" was coined to describe exactly that act of seeing something together as a single overview rather than piece by piece, and English borrowed it directly into publishing, academic, and screenwriting vocabulary with the Greek plural intact.

Usage note

"Synopses" is the standard term in publishing (book synopses submitted to agents), film and television (script synopses), and academic writing (research synopses), and no regularized alternative has any real presence in professional usage in any of these fields.

Because "synopsis" is used so often in professional contexts where precision matters — literary agents and producers read countless synopses and expect correct terminology — getting the plural wrong in a query letter or pitch document can read as a small but noticeable credibility signal. Literary agents often specify exact word-count limits for synopses in their submission guidelines, and writers who submit synopses that run too long, or that reveal too little of the plot, are frequently rejected on that basis alone — making the ability to write a tight, accurate synopsis a genuinely valuable skill distinct from writing the manuscript itself.

Common real mistakes

"Synopsises" is a common error among writers unfamiliar with the Greek -is/-es pattern; the correct and only standard plural is "synopses" (sih-NOP-seez).

The wider pattern

"Synopsis" completes this Greek -is/-es cluster alongside "ellipsis" and "oasis," and like "ellipsis" specifically, it's a word whose plural is encountered constantly in a specific professional field (publishing and screenwriting), which has helped keep the Greek-derived plural firmly entrenched rather than drifting toward a regularized form. Film festival programs face a particular challenge writing synopses that entice audiences without giving away twists, and festival programmers who write hundreds of synopses each year have developed something close to a house style for balancing intrigue against clarity across very different genres of film.

Examples

• The agent requested synopses for all three unpublished novels.
• Both synopses omitted the story's actual ending, as is standard practice.
• The festival program included brief synopses of each short film.
• Students submitted synopses of their research before the full paper was due.
• The producer read dozens of synopses before selecting a project to develop.
• Her synopses were praised for capturing complex plots in just a few lines.
• The catalog printed synopses for every title in the collection.
• Two competing synopses of the same event appeared in rival newspapers.
• Reviewers rely on synopses to decide which books merit a full reading.
• The course packet contains synopses of each assigned chapter.
• The publisher required updated synopses for all three books in the series.
• Two competing synopses of the merger appeared in the same week's news.
• Film students practiced writing synopses for classic movies as an exercise.
• Her synopses were sharper and shorter than most other submissions that year.
• Festival programmers wrote careful synopses avoiding any major plot spoilers.
• The anthology's synopses helped readers choose which stories to read first.
• Two synopses of the same trial appeared in rival legal journals.
• Her agent revised the synopses twice before submitting to publishers.
• The editor requested shorter synopses for the anthology's back cover.
• Both synopses left out the story's final twist entirely.
• The workshop taught writers to condense entire novels into single-page synopses.
• Both synopses were rejected for revealing too little about the plot.