Meaning of novel in English

novel
noun [ C ]
us
/ˈnɑː.vəl/ uk
/ˈnɒv.əl/
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B1
a long printed story about imaginary characters and events:
a paperback novel
historical/romantic novels
Have you read any of Jane Austen's novels?
His latest novel is selling really well.
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SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases
Books: kinds of books
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novel
adjective
us
/ˈnɑː.vəl/ uk
/ˈnɒv.əl/
new and original, not like anything seen before:
a novel idea/suggestion
Keeping a sheep in the yard is a novel way of keeping the grass short!
Thesaurus: synonyms, antonyms, and examples
recently appeared, arrived, or developed
  • newI bought a new suit for my interview.
  • brand newThe company unveiled a brand new product this week.
  • novelThat's a novel way of approaching the problem.
  • novelThe bank has introduced a novel way of detecting fraud.
  • innovativeThe project uses innovative ideas for recycling.
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medical   specialized
used to refer to a new strain (= type) of a virus that has not been seen before:
The COVID-19 pathogen is a novel coronavirus.
A novel virus in swine is closely related to the human hepatitis E virus.
SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases
New
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You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:
(Definition of novel from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

novel | Intermediate English

novel
noun [ C ]
us
/ˈnɑv·əl/

novel noun [C] (BOOK)

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literature
a long, printed story about imaginary characters and events:
literary/romance novels
novel
adjective
us
/ˈnɑv·əl/

novel adjective (NEW)

new and original; not like anything seen before:
a novel idea/suggestion
(Definition of novel from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

Examples of novel

novel
See the 100 best novels of all time.
From TIME
I'm a slow starter when it comes to novels.
From Philly.com
For a woman, it can be a 250-page novel or a 2,000-word story.
From TIME
I think readers should read a novel without seeking to compare it but only to take it on its own terms.
From International Business Times
It's a reflection of their novel concept of time.
From ThinkProgress
A novel doesn't have to be high art to be great; it just has to bring it.
From Slate Magazine
Time was female characters in a crime novel were all secretaries, socialites and victims.
From NPR
Could be fun and sort of novel, but don't count on much more than that.
From TIME
Smiley has been compared to some of the great writers of the 19th century, when the novel was a flourishing art form.
From NPR
There are times when the book reads almost like a romance novel, were it not for the sinister undertone and unhappy ending.
From International Business Times
I am never going to read a novel that is more than 1,000 pages long.
From Los Angeles Times
As the novel opens, one of the women is dying of cancer.
From USA TODAY
The stage, when you're writing a novel, is a scene: a particular time and a particular place where something particular is going to happen.
From Huffington Post
That novel was really coming along now by the sound of things.
From Ars Technica
These examples are from corpora and from sources on the web. Any opinions in the examples do not represent the opinion of the Cambridge Dictionary editors or of Cambridge University Press or its licensors.

Collocations with novel

novel

These are words often used in combination with novel.

Click on a collocation to see more examples of it.

adult novel
Sometimes, the term problem novel is used almost interchangeably with young adult novel, but many young adult novels do not fit these criteria.
From
Wikipedia
This example is from Wikipedia and may be reused under a CC BY-SA license.
autobiographical novel
The book is now considered an autobiographical novel rather than a strict autobiography.
From
Wikipedia
This example is from Wikipedia and may be reused under a CC BY-SA license.
best-selling novel
The success of that serialization led the book, when published, to become the second best-selling novel in 1937 and fifth best for the year 1938.
From
Wikipedia
This example is from Wikipedia and may be reused under a CC BY-SA license.
These examples are from corpora and from sources on the web. Any opinions in the examples do not represent the opinion of the Cambridge Dictionary editors or of Cambridge University Press or its licensors.
See all collocations with novel
What is the pronunciation of novel?
 
B1

Translations of novel

in Chinese (Traditional)
（長篇）小說, 新穎的，新奇的…
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in Chinese (Simplified)
（长篇）小说, 新颖的，新奇的…
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in Spanish
novela, novedoso, original…
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in Portuguese
romance, novo, inusitado…
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in more languages
in Marathi
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in Dutch
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in Urdu
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in Telugu
in Arabic
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in Indonesian
in Thai
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in Italian
कादंबरी…
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小説, 奇抜な, 今までにない…
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roman, yeni, değişik…
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roman [masculine], original/-ale, roman…
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novel·la, nou, original…
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roman, verrassend…
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(काल्पनिक कृति) उपन्यास…
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નવલકથા…
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roman, ny, hidtil ukendt…
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novel, baru…
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der Roman, neuartig…
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roman [masculine], ny, roman…
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ناول…
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роман, новела, новий…
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роман, новый, свежий…
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ఊహాత్మక పాత్రలు, సంఘటనల గురించి ముద్రణలోకి వచ్చిన సుదీర్ఘమైన కథ…
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رِواية, جَديد, مُخْتَلِف…
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উপন্যাস…
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román, nový, nezvyklý…
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novel, baru…
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นวนิยาย, ใหม่…
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tiểu thuyết, mới lạ…
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powieść, nowatorski…
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소설, 새로운…
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romanzo, nuovo, insolito…
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ingenious

UK
/ɪnˈdʒiː.ni.əs/
US
/ɪnˈdʒiː.ni.əs/

(of a person) very intelligent and skilful, or (of a thing) skilfully made or planned and involving new ideas and methods

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