novelistic

American

[nov-uh-lis-tik] / ˌnɒv əˈlɪs tɪk /

adjective

of, relating to, or characteristic of novels.

novelistic British

/ ˌnɒvəˈlɪstɪk /

adjective

of or characteristic of novels, esp in style or method of treatment

his novelistic account annoyed other historians

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

novelistically

adverb

Etymology

Origin of novelistic

First recorded in 1825–35; novel ¹ + -istic

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

novelistic

But he’s never been so delicately novelistic, and so accessibly human, as with his latest movie, “Possible Love,” even when Lee is spinning the enigmatic vibes he’s known for.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 23, 2026

Cleage gives the women plenty of substance, though her novelistic mode — more telling than showing — deprives her drama of style.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 19, 2026

They are undeniably cinematic—all five of these books have been made into movies—yet their pleasures are novelistic.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 2, 2026

Spend enough time there and I guarantee you’ll find yourself gaining almost novelistic insight into what your high school English teacher called “the human condition.”

From Slate ● Apr. 26, 2024

Shepherd was an acquired taste: He told tales in novelistic form about his childhood in the Midwest, his life in the army, and his adult misadventures in New York City.

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023