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.
—
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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The film is adapted from a novella written by Stephen King.—
Virginia Chamlee,
People.com,
13 June 2025
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The first novella couldn’t be stretched quite that far, so the story required some expansion.—
Gideon Lewis-Kraus,
New Yorker,
13 June 2025
Noun
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The revelation of Izzy and Ferd’s son is sketchy; a suicide tale lacks a set-up or point; intriguing female bonds are underwritten; and all-too-familiar tropes associated with spousal violence weaken the work.—
Frank Rizzo,
Variety,
13 June 2025
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If your job has been affected, or fear automation may come next, this isn’t a cautionary tale.—
Andrew Fennell,
Forbes.com,
12 June 2025
Noun
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There are honestly a number of pretty good performances this season (Ivanek is consistently entertaining) but they’re all dragged down by a terrible script and a story that keeps going nowhere fast.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
10 June 2025
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Her story as a young, dedicated fossil collector inspired Swiss director Marcel Barelli, whose own passion for paleontology followed him into adulthood.—
Kevin Giraud,
Variety,
10 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Novelette.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/novelette. Accessed 20 Jun. 2025.
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