Checking saved dictionary data and trusted language sources. This will stop automatically if a source does not respond.
Pronunciation varies by accent · noun
(Roman Catholicism) A recitation of prayers and devotions for nine consecutive days, especially one to a saint to ask for their intercession..
The good nuns, who had been so sure of her vocation, perceived with great astonishment that Mademoiselle Rouault seemed to be slipping from them. They had indeed been so lavish to her of prayers, retreats, novenas, and sermons, they had so often preached the respect due to saints and martyrs, and given so much good advice as to the modesty of the body and the salvation of her soul, that she did as tightly reined horses; she pulled up short and the bit slipped from her teeth.
Use novena when its meaning, tone and grammar fit the full sentence. A synonym is not always a direct replacement.
Novena means (Roman Catholicism) A recitation of prayers and devotions for nine consecutive days, especially one to a saint to ask for their intercession..
The closest synonym depends on the sentence and intended sense.
The opposite depends on the specific sense.
The good nuns, who had been so sure of her vocation, perceived with great astonishment that Mademoiselle Rouault seemed to be slipping from them. They had indeed been so lavish to her of prayers, retreats, novenas, and sermons, they had so often preached the respect due to saints and martyrs, and given so much good advice as to the modesty of the body and the salvation of her soul, that she did as tightly reined horses; she pulled up short and the bit slipped from her teeth.
FreeDictionaryAPI.com / Wiktionary · Original source · CC BY-SA 4.0
Dictionary data is provided by FreeDictionaryAPI.com and sourced from Wiktionary under its stated license.