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novelesque

novelesque

9.0
Having the feel of a long, detailed story with many characters and events
  • adjective
  • /ˌnɒv.əˈlɛsk/
  • Literature
translation icon : novelesco
  • This was simultaneously accompanied by a questioning of the authenticity and historical authority of the texts that employed them, which were often stigmatized with the labels of novelesque, utopian, and imaginative.

Examples

  • The author crafted a novelesque tale filled with rich characters and unexpected twists.

  • Her life story had a novelesque quality, with dramatic events and a wide cast of personalities.

  • The film was praised for its novelesque style, drawing viewers into a detailed and imaginative world.

Synonyms

novelistic
vsnovelesque
  • Literature
1 6.0

Telling imagined events in a long, detailed way like a story

focuses on broader storylike qualities such as length, many characters, and drama

How Novelistic

epic
  • Literature
44 5.5
novelesque
  • Literature
9.0
descriptive
28 4.0
concise
37 4.2

Surface Forms

novelesque positive

Morphology

novelesque = novel (transparent) = novel + esque

Formed by the productive adjective-forming suffix '-esque' meaning 'in the style of' or 'resembling', so the meaning is directly recoverable from 'novel'.

Etymology

The word novelesque comes from novel, meaning 'a long fictional story', and the ending -esque, which means 'in the style of'. So novelesque describes something that feels like a novel, that is long, detailed, and full of characters and drama.