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
House of the Dragon premieres its third season this summer ahead of a fourth and likely final season in 2028, while A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, based on Martin's Tales of Dunk & Egg novellas, is in production on season 2 for release in 2027.
—
Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 13 Apr. 2026
Truman Capote, who wrote the original novella, had drawn inspiration from the blonde bombshell— something Ferrer believes may have made the role less appealing.
—Tereza Shkurtaj, PEOPLE, 12 Apr. 2026
James Ashcroft wrote and directed the film, which was adapted from Elizabeth Engstrom’s 1980s novella of the same name.
—Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 7 Apr. 2026
Two Prosecutors is based on a novella by Georgy Demidov, a physicist who spent 18 years in Soviet prison camps and was rehabilitated in the late 1950s, only to then have his work seized by the authorities; most of his writings were only published following his death in 1987.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 24 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for novella
Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 13 Apr. 2026
Truman Capote, who wrote the original novella, had drawn inspiration from the blonde bombshell— something Ferrer believes may have made the role less appealing.
—Tereza Shkurtaj, PEOPLE, 12 Apr. 2026
James Ashcroft wrote and directed the film, which was adapted from Elizabeth Engstrom’s 1980s novella of the same name.
—Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 7 Apr. 2026
Two Prosecutors is based on a novella by Georgy Demidov, a physicist who spent 18 years in Soviet prison camps and was rehabilitated in the late 1950s, only to then have his work seized by the authorities; most of his writings were only published following his death in 1987.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 24 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for novella
Recent Examples of Synonyms for novella
Noun
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The most obvious answer was that the story, on a deeper level, needed to be timeless, a tale of a desperate person facing moral dilemmas of increasing extremity while trying to hold fast to their values.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
1 May 2026
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The children participated in Disney+'s 2025 documentary Lost in the Jungle, which recounted their tale of survival, per The New York Times.—
Emily Blackwood,
PEOPLE,
1 May 2026
Noun
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Made in response to a difficult breakup, the work alludes to two lovers parting ways, but also to Pau’s memories of isolation as a severely asthmatic child in a notoriously polluted city, lying in bed staring at the wall and inventing stories to distract herself from the difficulty of breathing.—
Pauline J. Yao,
Artforum,
2 May 2026
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The $30 million, 28-story towers contained 3,000 rooms, an 18-hole rooftop miniature golf course complete with sand traps and its own hospital.—
Kori Rumore,
Chicago Tribune,
2 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Novella.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/novella. Accessed 3 May. 2026.
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