Synonyms of novel

novel 1 of 2

noun

1

as in narrative

Related Words

• narrative
• fiction
• anecdote
• yarn
• tale
• story
• fabrication
• fantasy
• invention
• fable
• fairy tale
• figment
• lie
• misrepresentation
• falsehood
• untruth
• prevarication
• fib
• falsity
• whopper
• mendacity
• make-believe

Dissimilar Words

• fact
• reality
• materiality
• actuality
• realness

2

as in novelette

Related Words

• novelette
• monograph
• pulp
• textbook
• text
• treatise
• anthology
• album
• primer
• chapbook
• picture book
• casebook
• omnibus
• tract
• dictionary
• almanac
• catalog
• encyclopedia
• guidebook
• handbook
• manual
• paperback
• cyclopedia
• how-to
• hardcover
• folio
• hardback
• pocket book
• trade book
• book
• quarto
• trade edition
• tome
• paperbound
• softcover
• paper
• pocket edition
• softback
• volume

novel

2 of 2

adjective

ˈnä-vəl 

as in new

not known or experienced before

that's a novel idea for a TV series

Synonyms & Similar Words

• new
• unfamiliar
• unprecedented
• strange
• original
• fresh
• unique
• unheard-of
• innovative
• unknown
• unaccustomed
• unconventional
• pioneering
• nontraditional
• untried
• pathbreaking
• unused
• trailblazing
• unworn

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• old
• familiar
• hackneyed
• conventional
• traditional
• tired
• established
• derivative
• tried
• time-honored
• warmed-over
• imitative
• tried-and-true

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective novel differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of novel are fresh, new, and original. While all these words mean "having recently come into existence or use," novel applies to what is not only new but strange or unprecedented.

a novel approach to the problem

When could fresh be used to replace novel?

While the synonyms fresh and novel are close in meaning, fresh applies to what has not lost its qualities of newness such as liveliness, energy, brightness.

a fresh start

In what contexts can new take the place of novel?

Although the words new and novel have much in common, new may apply to what is freshly made and unused, what has not been known before, or what has not been experienced before.

new brick

new designs

starts the new job

When might original be a better fit than novel?

The meanings of original and novel largely overlap; however, original applies to what is the first of its kind to exist.

a man without one original idea

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of novel

Noun

True Confessions, his 1977 noir novel based on the Black Dahlia murder, was a best seller even before the De Niro/Duvall adaptation came out. — Charlie Lee, The New York Review of Books, 4 July 2026

The film also looks at the parallel career of author John Steinbeck, who wrote often of migrant workers in California, culminating in his novel The Grapes of Wrath. — Steve Appleford, Rolling Stone, 4 July 2026

Adjective

The ancient Greek poem the Odyssey, attributed to Homer, has endured for thousands of years, partly by being translated, reinterpreted, and adapted into novel art forms. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 1 July 2026

Fast, generalized defenses reduce exposure early, while slower, specialized mechanisms deliver precision when the threat is novel, persistent or evasive. — Abhik Biswas, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026