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Definitions

nova

[noh-vuh] / ˈnoʊ və /
NOUN
variable star that suddenly erupts
Synonyms
STRONGEST
STRONG
WEAK
aster orb


Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

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The project, released just before Coachella, blended a diverse range of rhythms such as pop, Brazilian funk, R&B and bossa nova -- a mix that, for Sonza, is the essence of Brazil.

From Barron's ● Apr. 13, 2026

Pair the bagels with hand sliced nova salmon, cream cheese, and a slice of tomato for a true feast.

From Salon ● Dec. 4, 2025

Although astronomers have not observed any nova events in this system in recent history, such outbursts often recur every few thousand years.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 9, 2025

“Oganesson” is constructed around his delicate strummed riff, which recalls the ease of bossa nova, and it has an airiness and jazziness not found elsewhere on the record.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 28, 2025

But in the cases of the nova of 1572 and the comet of 1577 the data necessitated the phenomenon, and the phenomenon falsified the established theory.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

Astronomers have obtained remarkably detailed images of two stellar explosions -- called novae -- just days after they began.

From Science Daily ● Dec. 31, 2025

The model predicts that ONe novae will produce a chlorine enhancement similar to the phosphorus enhancement.

From Science Daily ● May 10, 2024

Some even linked this possibility with novae observed in the sky — sudden bursts of light that dazzle the midnight firmament.

From Salon ● Aug. 12, 2023

"I was looking for a much more common type of outburst called novae."

From Scientific American ● May 3, 2023

The super-bright novae are called, logically enough, supernovae.

From "The Scientists" by John Gribbin

There are more than 400 known novas in the Milky Way galaxy.

From New York Times ● Mar. 8, 2024

The Zwicky Transient Facility scans the sky for stars that rapidly change in brightness, which could be events such as novas.

From Scientific American ● May 3, 2023

There was a kind of cosmic rightness: two novas exploding together.

From New York Times ● Dec. 19, 2018

In the 1980s, Shara had predicted that novas, novalike systems and dwarf novas were the same stars in different stages of an eruption cycle.

From Washington Post ● Aug. 30, 2017

Arguments over the location of novas and comets in the heavens thus continued even after 1610, after which date the traditional Ptolemaic system was abandoned by all competent participants.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton



Vocabulary lists containing nova


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