novelistic

American  

[nov-uh-lis-tik] / ˌnɒv əˈlɪs tɪk /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or characteristic of novels.

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novelistic British  

/ ˌnɒvəˈlɪstɪk /

adjective

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

   his novelistic account annoyed other historians

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Other Word Forms

• novelistically
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of novelistic

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

Example Sentences

Mr. Century, a veteran investigative journalist, has drawn on those writings, as well as many other firsthand accounts, to give his narrative a rich, novelistic sheen.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 17, 2025

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

The play is verbose, the plot is sluggishly novelistic and the operatic scale is indulgent.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 11, 2024

If the story I have told you so far feels a bit novelistic, well, it feels that way to me too.

From Salon • Nov. 26, 2023

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