Zola

American  

[zoh-luh, zaw-la] / ˈzoʊ lə, zɔˈla /

noun

1. Émile 1840–1902, French novelist.

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Zola British  

/ zɔla, ˈzəʊlə /

noun

1. 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)

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Other Word Forms

• Zolaesque adjective

Example Sentences

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

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 22, 2026

But novelist Emile Zola then penned his famous "J'accuse...!"

From Barron's • Nov. 18, 2025

“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 • Oct. 25, 2025

Zola, a black, white and tan Collie, was being cared for by an animal charity when she was rescued three years ago by Jessica Gibson from Limavady in County Londonderry.

From BBC • Mar. 3, 2025

I do not know what to say to Zola.

From "The Unfinished Angel" by Sharon Creech