novel

1 of 2

noun

nov·​el ˈnä-vəl 

1

: an invented prose narrative that is usually long and complex and deals especially with human experience through a usually connected sequence of events

The novel begins on the eve of its main character's graduation from college …

—Heller McAlpin

2

: the literary genre consisting of novels

… they proclaim the novel's death in part to whip up their resolve to effect its resurrection.

—Liesl Schillinger and Benjamin Moser

novelistic

ˌnä-və-ˈli-stik 

adjective

novelistically

ˌnä-və-ˈli-sti-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

novelistic

2 of 2

adjective

nov·​el·​is·​tic

: of, relating to, or characteristic of a novel

slowness … is an element essential to the novelistic form—as opposed to the dramatic or short-story form

—R. C. Hutchinson

the novelistic fashions he parodied and superseded

—William Irvine

novelistically

-tə̇k(ə)lē 

adverb

Did you know?

If someone tells you that you've come up with a novel idea or a novel interpretation of something, it's probably a compliment: not everyone is capable of original thinking. But not everything new is terribly worthwhile; a novelty, for example, is often a cute (or maybe just silly) little object that you might put on a display shelf in your house. It may seem surprising that the familiar noun novel is related as well. In the 14th century, Italian writers began writing collections of short tales, each of which they called a novella because it represented a new literary form; from this word, three centuries later, the English coined the noun novel.

Examples of novel in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Monsters of various shapes and sizes creep across the pages of Spark’s novels, plays and short stories. —Literary Hub, 9 June 2026

Based on the bestselling novel by Bart Baker, Honeymoon with Harry follows a rough-around-the-edges man (Gyllenhaal) who ends up sharing an unwanted journey with his fiancée’s prickly, overprotective father (Costner) after a life-altering turn upends their plans. —Matt Grobar, Deadline, 8 June 2026

Ernst Baerwald’s odyssey from a cushy childhood in Frankfurt to his final days in a beautiful Berkeley mansion, with a long sojourn in Tokyo along the way, reads like, well, a novel. —Bethanne Patrick, Los Angeles Times, 8 June 2026

From the train station in Maienfeld, near the border with Liechtenstein, a footpath leads up to Heididorf, a reproduction of the idyllic farm where Johanna Spyri’s beloved children’s novel—named for its protagonist and published in 1880—is set. —Jessi Jezewska Stevens, New Yorker, 8 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun

earlier nouell, nouelle "short prose narrative," borrowed from Italian novella — more at novella

First Known Use

Noun

1639, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing novel

• dime novel
• graphic novel
• saga novel

Rhymes for novel

• grovel

Kids Definition

novel

1 of 2 adjective

nov·​el ˈnäv-əl 

1

: new and different from what has been known before

2

: original or striking in design or appearance

a novel way to make money

novel

2 of 2 noun

: a long prose narrative that usually portrays imaginary characters and events