cenario

Cenario is a term used in Portuguese to denote the setting or environment in which events unfold. It can refer to the physical backdrop of a stage or film—the scenery and props that create a sense of place—as well as to the broader surroundings or context of a location. The word is also used figuratively to describe the current situation or the hypothetical conditions under which something could occur, such as a political or economic scenario.

Etymology and scope: The word derives from the Italian scenario, a term that entered Portuguese through other Romance languages and the theatre lexicon. It is related to the idea of a stage or scene, with the sense expanding from theatrical scenery to include any configurable or imagined setting for events. In contemporary usage, cenários can be concrete (the physical setting of a production) or abstract (possible future states).

Uses across domains: In theatre and cinema, cenário refers to the set design and the arrangement of the stage environment. In literature and journalism, it can denote the narrative or situational backdrop of a story or report. In planning and forecasting, cenários describe plausible future conditions, such as cenários econômicos (economic scenarios) or cenários políticos (political scenarios), used to analyze risks and guide decision-making. The plural cenários is commonly used when multiple potential conditions are considered.

See also: Scenography, set design, environment, context.