Zola

American  

[zoh-luh, zaw-la] / ˈzoʊ lə, zɔˈla /

noun

1. Émile 1840–1902, French novelist.

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Zola British  

/ zɔla, ˈzəʊlə /

noun

1. Émile (emil). 1840–1902, French novelist and critic; chief exponent of naturalism. In Les Rougon-Macquart (1871–93), a cycle of 20 novels, he explains the behaviour of his characters in terms of their heredity: it includes L'Assommoir (1877), Nana (1880), Germinal (1885), and La Terre (1887). He is also noted for his defence of Dreyfus in his pamphlet J'accuse (1898)

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• Zolaesque
  adjective

Example Sentences

"I gave my passport to the officer. He was shocked. 'Are you really Tonton Zola Moukoko?' he asked. 'You can't be the one that was playing at Derby!'"

From BBC • May 5, 2026

On average, wedding dresses cost $2,250, and can reach $10,000 or more for designer gowns, according to Zola.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 25, 2026

Having studied philosophy at Sogang University in Seoul, the soft-spoken filmmaker is also known as a great lover of literature, especially Emile Zola and Philip Roth.

From Barron's • Feb. 26, 2026

“There is a contrast between the dreamy, aspirational images couples want to emulate, the trends they want to incorporate, and the reality of what their budget allows,” Zola notes.

From MarketWatch • Oct. 25, 2025

I tell you, Zola is not resembling other young peoples up here in the mountains.

From "The Unfinished Angel" by Sharon Creech