novella

noun

no·​vel·​la nō-ˈve-lə How to pronounce novella (audio)
plural novellas or novelle nō-ˈve-lē How to pronounce novella (audio)
Synonyms of novellanext
1
plural novelle : a story with a compact and pointed plot
2
plural novellas : a work of fiction intermediate in length and complexity between a short story and a novel

Synonyms

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Examples of novella in a Sentence

pressed for time, many English teachers have their students read the one novella among the novelist's works
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
The novella draws inspiration from all-time classic Bringing Up Baby, which puts paleontologist David Huxley (Cary Grant) in the path of wacky heiress Susan Vance (Katharine Hepburn) and her pet leopard, Baby. — Maureen Lee Lenker, People.com, 19 Mar. 2025 The 2022 pact added 12 more titles: Coben’s signature 11-book Myron Bolitar series as well as the stand-alone 2021 novella Win, for an adaptation as an ongoing, U.S.-based series. — Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 12 Mar. 2025 Price: In the five figures Release date: Sometime in 2025 Train Dreams Distributor: Netflix Adapted from a 2011 novella by Denis Johnson, Train Dreams, starring Joel Edgerton and Felicity Jones, was co-written and directed by Clint Bentley. — Jennifer Zhan, Vulture, 30 Jan. 2025 Despite being only a slight 117 pages long, the novella is expansive, taking Grainier through the end of Westward Expansion, the loss of his beloved wife and daughter and into the 1960s. — Mia Galuppo, The Hollywood Reporter, 25 Jan. 2025 See All Example Sentences for novella

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Italian, "piece of news, announcement, story, narrative," noun derivative from feminine of novello "new," going back to Latin novellus "young, tender (of plants or animals)," from novus "new" + -ellus, diminutive suffix — more at new entry 1

First Known Use

1677, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of novella was in 1677

Rhymes for novella

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Cite this Entry

“Novella.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/novella. Accessed 26 Mar. 2025.

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novella

noun
no·​vel·​la nō-ˈvel-ə How to pronounce novella (audio)
: a work of fiction falling between a short story and a novel in length and complexity

More from Merriam-Webster on novella

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about novella

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