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novel

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noun

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

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.
Recent Examples of novel
Adjective
Based on the 2003 bestselling novel of the same name by Lauren Weisberger, who had previously worked as a personal assistant to Wintour at Vogue, the movie tells the story of an aspiring writer (Anne Hathaway) who finds a job at a top fashion magazine under the direction of a tough-as-nails editor. Lisa Respers France, CNN Money, 10 Sep. 2025 With no experience and no connections in the industry, Hoover took a chance on herself and self-published her first novel, Slammed, in 2012. Marilyn La Jeunesse, Glamour, 10 Sep. 2025
Noun
In this animal study, the team uncovered a novel feedback mechanism that balances hormone levels to power a range of tasks – including helping to build muscle. New Atlas, 8 Sep. 2025 For example, it could be used for novel new medical injections and drug delivery methods. Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 7 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for novel
Recent Examples of Synonyms for novel
Adjective
  • That new equalized funding formula went into effect after a three-year transition period in 2024, when 44 groups each got $9,269, according to the three-year awards report.
    Claudia Levens, jsonline.com, 8 Sep. 2025
  • Swiss transportation company Twiliner is kicking off a new night bus service later this year that will be more akin to a business class airline seat than your typical bus.
    Opheli Garcia Lawler, Travel + Leisure, 8 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Cherry-picking statistics to suit a narrative — a form of confirmation bias, as described in the commission’s view — is dangerous and undermines the diligence that should come from responsible statistical analysis.
    Mark Carey, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2025
  • The problem comes when ideological casting choices begin to undermine the narrative, contravening Grisham’s famously effective structure and pacing.
    Graham Hillard, The Washington Examiner, 5 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Alfred Hitchcock turned one of Woolrich’s novelettes into Rear Window, for which Woolrich was paid the grand sum of $650.
    Sam Kashner, Air Mail, 12 Apr. 2025
  • What began as an audio-only novelette (drawing on el-Mohtar’s own experience with the harp) has transformed into a novella with illustrations: In the town of Thistleford, Hawthorn sisters Esther and Ysabel raise their voices together to sing about everything from adventure to sadness.
    Natalie Zutter January 2, Literary Hub, 2 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • Recent studies suggest that competing on surfaces with unfamiliar mechanical properties – such as stiffness and elasticity – can accelerate neuromuscular fatigue.
    Michael Hales, The Conversation, 9 Sep. 2025
  • Later, while sifting through their collections, researchers noticed three unfamiliar-looking fish, the 2025 study said.
    Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 9 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • There are no sections that go entirely unloved by our staff, but some favorites include literary fiction, cookbooks, sci fi and fantasy and all things kids' books.
    American Booksellers Association, USA Today, 5 Sep. 2025
  • Such subtlety may not necessarily be what readers—perhaps American readers, in particular—expect from political fiction, which can have a reputation for being didactic and heavy-handed, designed to beat readers over the head, as if anything political were made in the mode of Soviet realism.
    Lily Meyer, The Atlantic, 5 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Ziskie was also a dedicated and busy photographer, and in 2017 his first monograph of photos, called Cloud Chamber, was published.
    Greg Evans, Deadline, 15 Aug. 2025
  • Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences and an American Geophysical Union monograph.
    Ian Dexter Palmer, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • The unprecedented nature of the election leaves a lot of variables unknown.
    Ilana Arougheti, Kansas City Star, 10 Sep. 2025
  • The format grants viewers unprecedented control over programming elements, from influencing contestant challenges involving current events and social issues to deciding elimination outcomes and performance selections.
    Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 10 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • One anecdote does well to illustrate the apparent association between donating to Newsom and succeeding in California.
    Robert Schmad, The Washington Examiner, 10 Sep. 2025
  • Speaking about forgetting a line onstage as Kenickie in the original cast of Grease, and André De Shields, a Tony Award winner for Hadestown, telling a dirty anecdote about auditioning for The Full Monty, a show in which the actors do a striptease.
    Caitlin Huston, HollywoodReporter, 9 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Novel.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/novel. Accessed 12 Sep. 2025.

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