Zola

American

[zoh-luh, zaw-la] / ˈzoʊ lə, zɔˈla /

noun

Émile 1840–1902, French novelist.

Zola British

/ zɔla, ˈzəʊlə /

noun

Émile (emil). 1840–1902, French novelist and critic; chief exponent of naturalism. In Les Rougon-Macquart (1871–93), a cycle of 20 novels, he explains the behaviour of his characters in terms of their heredity: it includes L'Assommoir (1877), Nana (1880), Germinal (1885), and La Terre (1887). He is also noted for his defence of Dreyfus in his pamphlet J'accuse (1898)

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Zolaesque adjective

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.

Having studied philosophy at Sogang University in Seoul, the soft-spoken filmmaker is also known as a great lover of literature, especially Emile Zola and Philip Roth.

From Barron's

Old allegiance, old history, shared blood, old tribes, old paper—Magna Carta, Émile Zola.

From The Wall Street Journal

A loose 1878 crayon and ink-wash study for an illustration for Émile Zola’s “L’Assommoir” becomes a firmer, more detailed pen, ink and chalk version, made even more solid in the final reproduction.

From The Wall Street Journal

“There is a contrast between the dreamy, aspirational images couples want to emulate, the trends they want to incorporate, and the reality of what their budget allows,” Zola notes.

From MarketWatch

Zola finishes her speech and grins uncomfortably at the rictus breaking across Stefani’s face and the glowing eyes above it.

From Salon

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023