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GRE vocabulary

novel

adjectiveHigh-frequency wordMore N words

new, original, and not previously encountered

Word origin: From Latin novus, new.

In a sentence

Novel in a sentence

Here are example sentences showing novel in a sentence.

The researchers proposed a novel approach to treating the disease.

The team's novel approach to error correction sidestepped a bottleneck that had stalled the field for years.

Synonyms
innovativeoriginalfresh
Antonyms
familiarconventionalstale
Usage & nuance

Using “novel” well

As an adjective, novel means new and original, never before encountered, with a positive connotation of freshness. Distinguish this from the unrelated noun novel, meaning a long work of fiction.

Common questions

Questions about “novel

Novel (adjective) means new, original, and not previously encountered
Here is novel used in an example sentence: "The researchers proposed a novel approach to treating the disease." Another example: "The team's novel approach to error correction sidestepped a bottleneck that had stalled the field for years."
Common synonyms for novel include innovative, original, fresh.
Antonyms of novel include familiar, conventional, stale.
Novel clusters with innovative, original, and fresh. Its antonyms familiar, conventional, and stale mark the opposite-sense answer.
Yes. Novel is a high-frequency GRE word, so it is worth prioritising as you build your vocabulary.

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