From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishnovelnov‧el1 /ˈnɒvəl $ ˈnɑː-/ ●●● W3 noun [countable] ALa long written story in which the characters and events are usually imaginary → fiction a novel by Jane Austen It took Vikram Seth three years to write his 1,349-page novel ‘A Suitable Boy’.detective/romantic/historical etc novel a newly published science fiction novel► see thesaurus at book
Examples from the Corpus
novel• The movie is based on a novel by Anne Tyler.• I started to plan a novel.• My experience was limited largely to news and news feature writing until recently, when I ventured to write a novel.• a novel by John Irving• Keller's debut novel is about a Korean woman who was sold into prostitution during World War II.• Butler has also written several historical novels under the pen-name of Jenny Melville.• For much of its course, the later novel takes all this for granted.• This is the study where Hemingway wrote the legendary novels 'Death in the Afternoon' and 'For Whom the Bell Tolls'.• The new novel usually starts from where one is, seldom from a vision of a lost world or future utopia.• As a life, it had the ingredients of a blockbuster romantic novel or epic costume film.• Johnston's nudes look like cover art for romantic novels.• Nathalie Sarraute's novels could be claimed to display autonomy and reflexivity, despite her preoccupation with such a mimetic project.• The new Sidney Shelton novel is to be adapted for film later in the year.• No such novel ever got written.• The novel contains a number of important historical accidents which reveal the heavy hand of the author.detective/romantic/historical etc novel• The reverse is also true; those who prefer historical novels may also enjoy some Historical Romances.• Many readers of Historical Romances also read historical novels, broadening the field of selection immensely.• Tolstoy, Hemingway and Hardy, thrillers and spy stories, historical novels, light romances.• One last observation about the detective novel.• This is the detective novel or the crime novel which makes its comments on life through humour rather than more directly.• One of the greatest historians for children is the author Jean Fritz who has written historical novels and picture books.• Tony Ballard was a painter and his wife, Zelah, wrote historical novels.novelnovel2 ●●○ adjective [usually before noun] NEWnot like anything known before, and unusual or interestingnovel idea/approach/method etc What a novel idea!► see thesaurus at newExamples from the Corpus
novel• a novel approach to the problem• Since then, imprisoning corporate officials has become less novel but by no means universal.• A novel development, the company claims, it turns Macs into cheap workstations.• I spent six months living in a monastery in northern India, which was a novel experience.• Tonight's TV news will be presented in a novel format.• Scientists have come up with a novel way of catching fish.• The model produced provides an excellent and novel way of viewing the business.novel idea/approach/method etc• For example, when the legislature asked for a study of the personnel department, the change leaders took a novel approach.• The new regiment was the Army's first experiment in sending men into battle by this novel method.• Thus it was that the world took such note of Fleischmann and Pons' claim to have found a novel approach.• It was a novel idea and one we appreciated later when the weather improved.• Sometimes, however, novel ideas can boomerang.• It was such a novel idea it was hard to get your mind around it.• Law-and-order was one thing; the novel idea of the public sector providing parkland for the people was quite another.• It's a novel idea whose time has come.Origin novel1 (1500-1600) Italian novella; → NOVELLA novel2 (1400-1500) Old French “new”, from Latin novellus, from novus “new” 