Standard Lemma guide

bildungsroman

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /ˈbɪl.dʊŋzˌɹoʊ.mən/
  • /ˈbɪl.dʊŋz.ɹoʊˌmɑːn/

1

noun

Meaning 1

A novel tracing the spiritual, moral, psychological, or social development and growth of the main character, usually from childhood to maturity.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

Alternative letter-case form of bildungsroman.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: alt-of

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Borrowed from German Bildungsroman, from Bildung (“education, formation”) + -s- + Roman (“novel”).

Across languages

Translations

16 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Chinese Mandarin: 教育小說 /教育小说 (jiàoyù xiǎoshuō) — a type of novel
  • Chinese Mandarin: 教養小説 /教养小说 (jiàoyǎng xiǎoshuō) — a type of novel
  • Chinese Mandarin: 成長小説 /成长小说 (chéngzhǎng xiǎoshuō) — a type of novel
  • Danish: dannelsesroman — a type of novel
  • Finnish: kehitysromaani — a type of novel
  • French: roman d'apprentissage — a type of novel
  • French: bildungsroman — a type of novel
  • German: Bildungsroman — a type of novel
  • Hungarian: fejlődésregény — a type of novel
  • Japanese: 教養小説 (kyōyōshōsetsu) — a type of novel
  • Japanese: ビルドゥングスロマーン (birudunguzuromān) — a type of novel
  • Marathi: बिल्डुंग्जरोमान (bilḍuṅgjaromān) — a type of novel
  • Spanish: novela de aprendizaje — a type of novel
  • Spanish: novela de formación — a type of novel
  • Swedish: bildningsroman — a type of novel
  • Vietnamese: bildungsroman — a type of novel