novelistic

American  

[nov-uh-lis-tik] / ˌnɒv əˈlɪs tɪk /

adjective

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

---

novelistic British  

/ ˌnɒvəˈlɪstɪk /

adjective

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

   his novelistic account annoyed other historians

---

Other Word Forms

• novelistically
  adverb

---

Etymology

Origin of novelistic

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

---

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

novelistic

Ms. Cusk seems similarly trapped, as well, in a novelistic form that appears to bore her but which she is unwilling to disavow.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026

But the director, who wrote his adaptation in collaboration with Philippe Piazzo, also isn’t content with mere novelistic faithfulness to an author whose traces of colonial allegory in “The Stranger” have often been found problematic.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 10, 2026

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

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

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---