as in novella
a work with imaginary characters and events that is shorter and usually less complex than a novel
bought a collection of his novels and novelettes
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Recent Examples of novelette
Alfred Hitchcock turned one of Woolrich’s novelettes into Rear Window, for which Woolrich was paid the grand sum of $650.
—
Sam Kashner, Air Mail, 12 Apr. 2025
What began as an audio-only novelette (drawing on el-Mohtar’s own experience with the harp) has transformed into a novella with illustrations: In the town of Thistleford, Hawthorn sisters Esther and Ysabel raise their voices together to sing about everything from adventure to sadness.
—Natalie Zutter
january 2, Literary Hub, 2 Jan. 2025
The next year, Hao Jingfang became the first Chinese woman to win a Hugo, for her novelette Folding Beijing.
—Yi-Ling Liu, Wired, 9 Mar. 2021
Flash fiction, short stories, and novelettes don’t usually get the same amount of attention as their longer counterparts, which is a shame.
—Andrew Liptak, The Verge, 15 Nov. 2018
Graphic novelettes issued by the U.S. Army Cyber Institute aim to educate soldiers about digital threats
Stephen Cass
23 Mar 2018
3 min read
Stephen Cass is the special projects editor at IEEE Spectrum.
—IEEE Spectrum, 23 Mar. 2018
Sam Kashner, Air Mail, 12 Apr. 2025
What began as an audio-only novelette (drawing on el-Mohtar’s own experience with the harp) has transformed into a novella with illustrations: In the town of Thistleford, Hawthorn sisters Esther and Ysabel raise their voices together to sing about everything from adventure to sadness.
—Natalie Zutter
january 2, Literary Hub, 2 Jan. 2025
The next year, Hao Jingfang became the first Chinese woman to win a Hugo, for her novelette Folding Beijing.
—Yi-Ling Liu, Wired, 9 Mar. 2021
Flash fiction, short stories, and novelettes don’t usually get the same amount of attention as their longer counterparts, which is a shame.
—Andrew Liptak, The Verge, 15 Nov. 2018
Graphic novelettes issued by the U.S. Army Cyber Institute aim to educate soldiers about digital threats
Stephen Cass
23 Mar 2018
3 min read
Stephen Cass is the special projects editor at IEEE Spectrum.
—IEEE Spectrum, 23 Mar. 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for novelette
Noun
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This novella was not an obvious choice to put on the screen.—
Antonia Blyth,
Deadline,
13 Mar. 2026
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This means that one book can be a rom-com, the next a mystery novella, the next a steamy thriller.—
CT Jones,
Rolling Stone,
13 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Because the Duggars adhere to a fundamentalist fringe of evangelicalism, the liberal media are often quick to use the family’s failings as a cautionary tale about Christianity in general, and conservatives can be too quick to interpret criticism of the family as criticism of the church.—
Tiana Lowe Doescher,
The Washington Examiner,
20 Mar. 2026
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My 30s were a cautionary tale of bad relationship decisions.—
Jessica Radloff,
Glamour,
20 Mar. 2026
Noun
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This story was produced with financial support from Trish and Dan Bell and donors in South Florida’s Jewish and Muslim communities, including Khalid and Diana Mirza and the Mohsin and Fauzia Jaffer Foundation, in partnership with Journalism Funding Partners.—
Lauren Costantino,
Miami Herald,
21 Mar. 2026
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Partners have no control over or input into the reporting or editing process, and do not review stories before publication.—
Steven Louis Goldstein,
New York Times,
21 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Novelette.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/novelette. Accessed 22 Mar. 2026.
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