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Definition of telenovela

telenovela

/ˌtɛlənoʊˈvɛlə/
tel · e · no · ve · la
Plural:telenovelas
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telenovela Lexical Profile

telenovela Game Scores & Validity

• noun

1

A serialized television melodrama produced especially in Latin America, characterized by a finite story arc that concludes after a single season or a set number of episodes.

Example

"She improved her conversational Spanish by watching a popular Mexican telenovela every evening."

Synonyms
View all synonyms for telenovela

Word Nuance & Usage

Unlike American or British soap operas, which can run indefinitely for decades, a telenovela typically has a predetermined story arc that concludes within several months to a year.

• Rhymes for telenovela

• Nearby Words

telemedicine
telemeeting
telemovie
telenovela
telepath
telepathic
telepathically

Word Origin & Etymology

Borrowed from Spanish and Portuguese telenovela, a blend of televisión (or televisão) and novela ('novel').

Usage Trend

Historical frequency of usage in published text.

180019102020
Data source: Google Books Ngram Viewer

Cite this Entry

Wordmom. (2026). Definition of Telenovela. In Wordmom Dictionary. Retrieved Nov 5, 2026, from https://wordmom.com/dictionary/telenovela
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