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telenovela

[ tel-uh-noh-vel-uh ]

/ ˌtɛl ə noʊˈvɛl ə /

noun

(in Latin America and Hispanic communities) a television soap opera, usually having a limited number of episodes.

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American English is not always as it appears to be ... get to know regional words in this quiz!

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A bet is synonymous with a wager, but what does it mean in New York?

Often it means something is impossible.

It’s another way to agree with someone.

It serves as an apology.

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Origin of telenovela

First recorded in 1960–65; from Spanish, equivalent to tele- tele-¹ + novela “novel, serial drama”; see novel¹

Words nearby telenovela

telemeter, telemetry, telemotor, telencephalic flexure, telencephalon, telenovela, teleo-, teleobjective lens, teleological, teleological argument, teleology

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for telenovela

The love scene was just a sex dream—explaining a bit why it was so over the top, like an R-rated telenovela.
Inside True Blood’s Steamy Gay Sex Scene|Kevin Fallon|June 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Rivera starred in a telenovela called Destilando Amor, or Distilling Love.
Mexico’s Telenovela President: Enrique Peña Nieto’s Saga of Scandal, Gaffes, and Connections|Teresa Puente|July 3, 2012|DAILY BEAST
The personal life of Mexico's next president, Enrique Peña Nieto, reads like a telenovela script.
Mexico’s Telenovela President: Enrique Peña Nieto’s Saga of Scandal, Gaffes, and Connections|Teresa Puente|July 3, 2012|DAILY BEAST
In other words, the telenovela that is American Idol continues.
Ellen's First Night|Richard Rushfield|February 9, 2010|DAILY BEAST

The Office came from the British original; Ugly Betty derived from a Colombian telenovela.
Ben Silverman's Unlikely Rise|Kim Masters|November 19, 2008|DAILY BEAST

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