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Synonyms

dime novel

American  

noun

  1. a cheap melodramatic or sensational novel, usually in paperback and selling for ten cents, especially such an adventure novel popular c1850 to c1920.


dime novel British  

noun

  1. Also called (esp Brit): penny-dreadful.  (formerly) a cheap melodramatic novel, usually in paperback

"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 dime novel

An Americanism dating back to 1860–65

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.

For fun: A late-19th-century dime novel offers advice on when not to marry.

From Slate • Jul. 15, 2016

Yet Lansdale has pulled out all the stops to deliver a rip-roaring tale completely in keeping with dime novel traditions and the cinematic hyperbole of "Blazing Saddles" or "Django Unchained."

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 26, 2015

One of Thompson's critics has called him without disparagement "a dime novel Dostoevsky" and there are elements of traditional tragedy in Lou's story of small-town desperation and madness.

From The Guardian • Jun. 5, 2010

Just like the dime novel, the pulp magazines had their day.

From Time Magazine Archive

Nezer, however, took to her as a duck to water, and her story, which he soon heard, became a real dime novel to him, and not content with one telling, he insisted on repetition.

From The Girl From Tim's Place by Munn, Charles Clark

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