novelist
- 01 B1 Intermediate
a person who writes novels, which are long books telling a story about imaginary people.
an author who writes novels, typically as a professional or artistic pursuit.
Simple“She decided to become a novelist after her first short story won a prize.”
In context“The novelist spent three years researching historical archives to ensure the setting of her latest book was entirely accurate.”
- 02 C2 Proficiency
someone who introduces new ideas or changes.
an innovator or person who introduces novelties; historically used for those favouring new developments.
Simple“In the old text, he was described as a novelist of social customs.”
In context“The seventeenth-century essayist used the term novelist to describe those political thinkers who sought to overturn established traditions.”
UsageThis sense is no longer used in modern English to describe writers.
Antonyms
“Lydia Kiesling is a novelist and culture writer whose work has appeared in New York Times Magazine , New Yorker and the Cut .”
“A novelist and a podcaster are an unlikely crime-solving team in You’re Killing Me.”
From novel + -ist.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.