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
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 film will focus on Breakfast at Tiffany’s Per Deadline, the film will be about the making of the 1961 classic based on the novella by Truman Capote.
—
Elizabeth Logan, Glamour, 25 Feb. 2026
The standard bearer of elegant style in life and on film, Hepburn had many a sartorial moment in the 1961 film based on Truman Capote’s novella of the same name, but her slinky Givenchy gown stole the show.
—Bailey Bujnosek, InStyle, 25 Feb. 2026
With Parker already on set, already calling The Sworn Sword his favorite novella and teasing the caliber of actors stepping into Rohanne, Bennis and Eustace’s boots, 2027 can’t arrive soon enough.
—Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 24 Feb. 2026
The plan, as outlined by Orsi in that February 2025 Deadline interview, is to adapt all three of the novellas in the Dunk and Egg collection across three total seasons.
—Hanna Wickes, Miami Herald, 24 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for novella
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Elizabeth Logan, Glamour, 25 Feb. 2026
The standard bearer of elegant style in life and on film, Hepburn had many a sartorial moment in the 1961 film based on Truman Capote’s novella of the same name, but her slinky Givenchy gown stole the show.
—Bailey Bujnosek, InStyle, 25 Feb. 2026
With Parker already on set, already calling The Sworn Sword his favorite novella and teasing the caliber of actors stepping into Rohanne, Bennis and Eustace’s boots, 2027 can’t arrive soon enough.
—Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 24 Feb. 2026
The plan, as outlined by Orsi in that February 2025 Deadline interview, is to adapt all three of the novellas in the Dunk and Egg collection across three total seasons.
—Hanna Wickes, Miami Herald, 24 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for novella
Cite this Entry
“Novella.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/novella. Accessed 5 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationKids 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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
