roman à clef

[ raw-mah na-kle ]

noun,plural ro·mans à clef [raw-mahnza-kle]. /rɔ mɑ̃ za ˈklɛ/. French.
  1. a novel that represents historical events and characters under the guise of fiction.

Origin of roman à clef

1
First recorded in 1880–85; literally “novel with a key,” the key being the connection between the fictional and nonfictional elements of the novel

Words Nearby roman à clef

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

British Dictionary definitions for roman à clef

roman à clef

/ French (rɔmɑ̃ a kle) /


nounplural romans à clef (rɔmɑ̃ a kle)
  1. a novel in which real people are depicted under fictitious names

Origin of roman à clef

1
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

Cultural definitions for roman à 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.