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
But when a director and a star just happen to be tracking the same Viennese novella from 1895, everybody wins.
—
Shannon L. Bowen, HollywoodReporter, 27 Aug. 2025
In the original version of the novella, the writing program is half MFA workshop-style, half writing residency; so, three different faculty members rotate teaching workshop across the three months.
—Jane Ciabattari
august 26, Literary Hub, 26 Aug. 2025
Robert Louis Stevenson’s 1886 novella contains more personalities than its dualistic subject.
—Kevin Dickinson, Big Think, 8 Aug. 2025
The fantasy novella follows the Hawthorn family, who tend to the enchanted willows in the small town of Thistleford, on the edge of Faerie.
—Emily St. Martin, Oc Register, 31 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for novella
Shannon L. Bowen, HollywoodReporter, 27 Aug. 2025
In the original version of the novella, the writing program is half MFA workshop-style, half writing residency; so, three different faculty members rotate teaching workshop across the three months.
—Jane Ciabattari
august 26, Literary Hub, 26 Aug. 2025
Robert Louis Stevenson’s 1886 novella contains more personalities than its dualistic subject.
—Kevin Dickinson, Big Think, 8 Aug. 2025
The fantasy novella follows the Hawthorn family, who tend to the enchanted willows in the small town of Thistleford, on the edge of Faerie.
—Emily St. Martin, Oc Register, 31 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for novella
Recent Examples of Synonyms for novella
Noun
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The tale is pilfered from the Aeneid, but Virgil would blench to see the curtain rise on Jupiter, dandling Ganymede, a beautiful boy, upon his knee.—
Anthony Lane,
New Yorker,
8 Sep. 2025
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Maggie O’Farrell’s 2020 novel Hamnet imagined the relationship between the Bard and his spouse as an intimate tale of lust, compromise, joy, resentment, support, and sorrow.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
8 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Advertisement Then, in February, after an early version of the site was ready, a story about Shield Seniors and Tejasvi appeared in the Dallas Observer, bringing her to the attention of the people at AARP.—
Jeffrey Kluger,
Time,
9 Sep. 2025
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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.—
Nicholas Rice,
People.com,
9 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Novella.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/novella. Accessed 11 Sep. 2025.
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