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 of novella

• tale
• story

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

The Hellraiser franchise, based on Clive Barker’s 1986 novella The Hellbound Heart, includes 11 movies, with the most recent being released in 2022. —Carly Thomas, HollywoodReporter, 3 May 2026

The structural problems reveal themselves early, as the revolution that defined Orwell’s novella is dispatched by minute 6. —Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 30 Apr. 2026

However, few Dostoevskian turncloaks are as compelling as the Underground Man, the protagonist of his 1864 novella Notes from Underground. —Big Think, 29 Apr. 2026

The opera, and the novella it is based on, were written in French. —Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 26 Apr. 2026

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