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
In total, Harrison wrote 14 books for the series, as well as a series of five mini-summer novellas and a Cliquetionary, a guide to the tween characters' slang.
—
Meredith Wilshere, PEOPLE, 18 Oct. 2025
At a time when ditching smartphones is becoming a bit of a soft Gen Z trend, the superstar says her daughter Hazel Moder (now 20) was inspired to ditch her own phone years ago after seeing director Rob Reiner’s coming-of-age classic (which is based on a novella by Stephen King).
—James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 16 Oct. 2025
In fact, the term Kafkaesque — which describes a bizarre, nightmarish situation where alienation and a lack of control permeate — is perhaps best applied to this novella.
—Big Think, 14 Oct. 2025
It’s based on a novella by Denis Johnson that first appeared in The Paris Review in 2002, and stars Joel Edgerton as fictional character Robert Grainier, one of the men and women who helped fire up America and ushered it into the industrial age.
—Baz Bamigboye, Deadline, 14 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for novella
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Meredith Wilshere, PEOPLE, 18 Oct. 2025
At a time when ditching smartphones is becoming a bit of a soft Gen Z trend, the superstar says her daughter Hazel Moder (now 20) was inspired to ditch her own phone years ago after seeing director Rob Reiner’s coming-of-age classic (which is based on a novella by Stephen King).
—James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 16 Oct. 2025
In fact, the term Kafkaesque — which describes a bizarre, nightmarish situation where alienation and a lack of control permeate — is perhaps best applied to this novella.
—Big Think, 14 Oct. 2025
It’s based on a novella by Denis Johnson that first appeared in The Paris Review in 2002, and stars Joel Edgerton as fictional character Robert Grainier, one of the men and women who helped fire up America and ushered it into the industrial age.
—Baz Bamigboye, Deadline, 14 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for novella
Cite this Entry
“Novella.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/novella. Accessed 22 Oct. 2025.
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
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