Novels

British

/ ˈnɒvəlz /

plural noun

Roman law the new statutes of Justinian and succeeding emperors supplementing the Institutes, Digest, and Code: now forming part of the Corpus Juris Civilis

"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

Etymology

Origin of Novels

Latin Novellae ( constitūtiōnēs ) new (laws)

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.

Novels are long divorced from the oral tradition; few are designed to last beyond their reading.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 8, 2025

They also dig into David Brooks’ controversial opinion column “When Novels Mattered” arguing that good literary fiction is a thing of the past.

From Slate • Jul. 26, 2025

Novels are shelved next to poetry, self-help, picture books and historical nonfiction.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 28, 2023

Novels aren’t made, generally, to be filled entirely by talk.

From New York Times • Nov. 28, 2022

“It’s a novel. Novels are fiction. Some people got really crazy over that dumb book.”

From "100 Sideways Miles" by Andrew Smith

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