Meaning & use
bildungsroman
Last updated
A novel that follows the psychological and moral growth of its main character from youth to adulthood.
See it in a sentence
Critics often cite the novel as a classic bildungsroman about growing up in a small town.
Her latest book is a bildungsroman set against the backdrop of a war-torn country.
A note on using this word
Borrowed from German ('formation novel'), bildungsroman is a standard term in literary criticism for a specific, well-established genre of fiction.
Words with a similar meaning
coming-of-age novel
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