SYNONYMS AND RELATED EXPRESSIONS

novel

adjective

New or unusually original.

Local English device voice, when available. This is not a recorded dictionary pronunciation.

New or original

Closest synonyms

Related words and expressions

These extend or explain the idea and may require a different sentence structure.

Usage distinction

Novel emphasizes newness or originality; unfamiliar only means the observer has not encountered it before.

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CHECK THE MEANING IN CONTEXT

See novel in use

Her novel approach arranged the collection by recurring images rather than by date.
Dictionary practice example.
For a fictional science-fiction book display, a trainee proposed a novel arrangement that let visitors follow a character's choices through several shelves.
From A Different Kind of Display.

Compare an alternative with the original word in each passage. Shared meanings do not make every pair interchangeable.

Synonym reference scope and sources

The groups distinguish the senses selected for this study entry. Closest synonyms and broader related expressions have separate labels. The listed sources support lexical selection; not every phrase is a direct quotation from a source.

How the synonym reference was prepared / WordNet 3.0 license

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