Meaning & use

novel

noun·Everyday

A long fictional narrative, typically published as a book with a sustained plot.

See it in a sentence

She spent the entire summer quietly writing her very first novel.

The professor assigned a nineteenth-century novel for the semester's final essay.

A note on using this word

"Novel" is also an adjective meaning new and unusual, a completely different sense from the noun meaning a long fictional book.

Words with a similar meaning

bookstoryfiction

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

Another way to use it

2. adjective

New, original, or unusual in a way that attracts interest.

The scientists proposed a novel method for recycling plastic waste.

Make it your own

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