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roman à clef

[ raw-mah na kle ]
/ rɔ mɑ na ˈklɛ /
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR roman à clef ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural ro·mans à clef [raw-mahn za kle] /rɔ mɑ̃ za ˈklɛ/. French.

a novel that represents historical events and characters under the guise of fiction.

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RELATED WORDS

saga, Bildungsroman, roman-fleuve

Nearby words

  1. roman punch,
  2. roman ride,
  3. roman shade,
  4. roman snail,
  5. roman strike,
  6. roman-fleuve,
  7. romance,
  8. romance languages,
  9. romancer,
  10. romanes
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
British Dictionary definitions for roman a clef

roman à clef

/ French (rɔmɑ̃ a kle) /

noun plural romans à clef (rɔmɑ̃ a kle)

a novel in which real people are depicted under fictitious names

Word Origin for roman à clef

literally: novel with a key
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
Culture definitions for roman a clef

roman à clef

[ (roh-mahn ah klay) ]

A novel in which actual people and places are disguised as fictional characters. Roman à clef is French for “novel with a key.”

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.