novella

noun

no·​vel·​la nō-ˈve-lə 

plural novellas or novelle nō-ˈve-lē 

1

plural novelle : a story with a compact and pointed plot

2

plural novellas : a work of fiction intermediate in length and complexity between a short story and a novel

Synonyms

• narrative
• novelette
• short story
• story
• tale
• yarn

Examples of novella in a Sentence

pressed for time, many English teachers have their students read the one novella among the novelist's works

Recent Examples on the Web

Stephen King’s novella about three chapters in the life of an ordinary man named Charles Krantz. —Andrew Torgan, CNN Money, 1 June 2025

This summer will see the first English translation of her earlier novella, Killing Stella, a slim domestic horror story that serves as a perfect entry point to Haushofer’s work. —Isle McElroy, Vulture, 21 May 2025

One novella builds to betrayal and withdrawal, the other to confrontation and even a kind of solidarity. —Nicholas Dames, Harpers Magazine, 29 Apr. 2025

Few people likely associate Oscar Wilde’s famed 1890 novella The Picture of Dorian Gray with the tech-laden, scroll-heavy social media of the 21st century. —Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 21 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Italian, "piece of news, announcement, story, narrative," noun derivative from feminine of novello "new," going back to Latin novellus "young, tender (of plants or animals)," from novus "new" + -ellus, diminutive suffix — more at new entry 1

First Known Use

1677, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for novella

• brucella
• candela
• capella
• chlorella
• flagella
• glabella
• lamella
• marcella
• mustela
• patella
• predella
• prunella

Kids Definition

novella

noun

no·​vel·​la nō-ˈvel-ə 

: a work of fiction falling between a short story and a novel in length and complexity