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

Two Prosecutors is based on a novella by Georgy Demidov, a physicist who spent 18 years in Soviet prison camps and was rehabilitated in the late 1950s, only to then have his work seized by the authorities; most of his writings were only published following his death in 1987. —Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 24 Mar. 2026

The stories in this collection range from a novella from her post-apocalyptic Sixth World series to a science fiction piece about a conflicted student attending university on a space station. —Erik Pedersen, Oc Register, 20 Mar. 2026

Stern has also published four collections of stories, four novellas, and two children’s books, all of them steeped in Jewish folklore. —Cathleen Schine, The New York Review of Books, 19 Mar. 2026

Moriarty wrote an unpublished novella to serve as the basis of 2019's Season 2, the aftermath of the murder. —Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 18 Mar. 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