as in novella
a work with imaginary characters and events that is shorter and usually less complex than a novel
bought a collection of his novels and novelettes
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Recent Examples of novelette
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.
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Natalie Zutter
january 2, Literary Hub, 2 Jan. 2025
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
Graphic novelettes issued by the U.S. Army Cyber Institute aim to educate soldiers about digital threats
Stephen Cass
23 Mar 2018
3 min read
Stephen Cass is the special projects editor at IEEE Spectrum.
—IEEE Spectrum, 23 Mar. 2018
The next year, Hao Jingfang became the first Chinese woman to win a Hugo, for her novelette Folding Beijing.
—Yi-Ling Liu, Wired, 9 Mar. 2021
The backstory of the novelette kept picking at my brain.
—Andrew Liptak, The Verge, 18 Sep. 2018
Flash fiction, short stories, and novelettes don’t usually get the same amount of attention as their longer counterparts, which is a shame.
—Andrew Liptak, The Verge, 15 Nov. 2018
In 2014, Mary Robinette Kowal earned a Hugo Award for her novelette The Lady Astronaut of Mars, set in an alternate history in which humanity is prompted to colonize outer space after a devastating meteor strike that destroys Washington, DC.
—Andrew Liptak, The Verge, 1 July 2018
Natalie Zutter
january 2, Literary Hub, 2 Jan. 2025
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
Graphic novelettes issued by the U.S. Army Cyber Institute aim to educate soldiers about digital threats
Stephen Cass
23 Mar 2018
3 min read
Stephen Cass is the special projects editor at IEEE Spectrum.
—IEEE Spectrum, 23 Mar. 2018
The next year, Hao Jingfang became the first Chinese woman to win a Hugo, for her novelette Folding Beijing.
—Yi-Ling Liu, Wired, 9 Mar. 2021
The backstory of the novelette kept picking at my brain.
—Andrew Liptak, The Verge, 18 Sep. 2018
Flash fiction, short stories, and novelettes don’t usually get the same amount of attention as their longer counterparts, which is a shame.
—Andrew Liptak, The Verge, 15 Nov. 2018
In 2014, Mary Robinette Kowal earned a Hugo Award for her novelette The Lady Astronaut of Mars, set in an alternate history in which humanity is prompted to colonize outer space after a devastating meteor strike that destroys Washington, DC.
—Andrew Liptak, The Verge, 1 July 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for novelette
Noun
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Adapted by Max Porter from his novella Shy, Steve has Oscar winner Murphy playing a headteacher during a pivotal day for students at a last-chance reform school and in a world that has left them behind.—
Etan Vlessing,
HollywoodReporter,
22 July 2025
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Each of the first four novels tells the love story of a hockey player, with the fifth being a novella collection of all four couples.—
Nellie Andreeva,
Deadline,
25 July 2025
Noun
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The two met in secret, and some versions of the story suggest their love lives on only in death, much like the Western tale of Romeo and Juliet.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
11 Aug. 2025
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With all due respect to the pressures of making an unconventional sci-fi film on a tight budget, using ecologically destructive technology for a story of ecological devastation, in which clean water is an increasingly rare resource, adds an unintentionally grim layer of irony to the tale.—
Josh Slater-Williams,
IndieWire,
11 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.—
Madison E. Goldberg,
People.com,
8 Aug. 2025
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Share stories of lateral moves in company updates—not as policy footnotes but as real growth journeys.—
Vibhas Ratanjee,
Forbes.com,
8 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Novelette.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/novelette. Accessed 22 Aug. 2025.
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