as in tale
a work with imaginary characters and events that is shorter and usually less complex than a novel
pressed for time, many English teachers have their students read the one novella among the novelist's works
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Recent Examples of novella
Ingvild Rishøi, the Norwegian author of the Christmas novella Brightly Shining (2024), is back with a triptych of tender portraits set in the frigid Oslo winter.
—
Air Mail, 27 Dec. 2025
Clint Bentley, directing a script adapted from a Denis Johnson novella of the same name, marvels at the beauty of the American wilderness, even as it is radically transformed by industrialization and technological change.
—Daniel Arkin, NBC news, 24 Dec. 2025
And there’s a lot in Dennis Johnson’s novella, and in [Clint Bentley’s and Greg Kwedar’s] script.
—Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 19 Dec. 2025
The semi-autobiographical novella was released in 2018.
—Mikelle Street, Them., 17 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for novella
Air Mail, 27 Dec. 2025
Clint Bentley, directing a script adapted from a Denis Johnson novella of the same name, marvels at the beauty of the American wilderness, even as it is radically transformed by industrialization and technological change.
—Daniel Arkin, NBC news, 24 Dec. 2025
And there’s a lot in Dennis Johnson’s novella, and in [Clint Bentley’s and Greg Kwedar’s] script.
—Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 19 Dec. 2025
The semi-autobiographical novella was released in 2018.
—Mikelle Street, Them., 17 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for novella
Recent Examples of Synonyms for novella
Noun
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Some readers might expect an indictment of fan fiction and celebrity culture; Yi swerves, though, and creates a more searching and subversive tale of love, connection, and art.—
Erin Somers,
The Atlantic,
6 Jan. 2026
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In pitting his offspring against each other in a battle for the family empire Rupert Murdoch became part of a tale as old as time… A tale well told in Gabe Sherman’s Bonfire of the Murdochs.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
6 Jan. 2026
Noun
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This single-story home boasts a generous living space with four bedrooms and two baths.—
Bay Area Home Report,
Mercury News,
7 Jan. 2026
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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.—
Katie Hill,
PEOPLE,
7 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Novella.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/novella. Accessed 10 Jan. 2026.
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