novelist

novelist — noun

1. someone whose occupation or regular activity is writing long fictional stories,

1.nounB2
Definition

someone whose occupation or regular activity is writing long fictional stories, known as novels, usually for publication.

Example

The acclaimed novelist published her first book at the age of twenty-four.

collocation: acclaimed novelist / published + (book)

A good novelist needs to create characters that readers truly care about.

collocation: novelist + create characters

Common collocations
  • acclaimed novelist
  • best-selling novelist
  • aspiring novelist
  • novelist + published
  • novelist + wrote
  • novelist + explores
  • critically acclaimed novelist
Synonyms
  • author

    broader term; an author writes any type of published work, not only novels

  • writer

    even broader; covers all forms of written work, including journalism and copywriting

  • fiction writer

    more specific than 'writer' but includes short-story authors, not only novelists

Usage Note

A novelist is a specific type of writer — one who writes novels, not short stories, poetry, or non-fiction. The term usually implies published work, though it can also describe someone who is working toward that goal.

Common Mistakes

She is a famous novel.
She is a famous novelist.
'novel' refers to the book itself, not the person who writes it.

Word family

  • novel
    nounA2
  • novelistic
    adjectiveC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All three words describe someone who produces written work, but they differ in scope. 'Writer' is the broadest term — it covers journalists, poets, screenwriters, copywriters, and anyone who writes as a regular activity, regardless of publication. 'Author' is more formal and implies published work, but it can refer to any published material: textbooks, cookbooks, children's picture books, or academic papers. 'Novelist' is the narrowest: it means someone who writes novels specifically — long fictional narratives. You might say 'J.K. Rowling is a best-selling author' (emphasising her published status) or 'Rowling is a fantasy novelist' (specifying the genre and format). A person can be a writer without being an author or a novelist; an author can write non-fiction; but a novelist always writes novels.

novelist ↗author ↗writer ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • acclaimed novelist
  • best-selling novelist
  • aspiring novelist
  • contemporary novelist
  • historical novelist
  • fantasy novelist

Adverbs

  • widely read

Phrases

  • turn-of-the-century novelist
  • novelist in residence

Prepositions

  • novelist by profession
  • novelist from

Etymology

LatinItalianFrenchEnglish

'Novelist' entered English in the 1700s from French 'novelliste', which came from Italian 'novellista' — a writer of 'novelle' (short stories or tales). The root 'novella' itself comes from Latin 'novellus', meaning 'new' or 'young', connected to 'novus' (new). Originally the term referred to writers of short prose tales; it shifted to mean writers of long fictional works as the novel form became popular in the 18th and 19th centuries.