Liberal Dictionary English Dictionary
noun, plural ro·mans à clef [raw-mahn za kle] /rɔ mɑ̃ za ˈklɛ/. French.
- a novel that represents historical events and characters under the guise of fiction.
noun plural romans à clef (rɔmɑ̃ a kle)
- a novel in which real people are depicted under fictitious names
A novel in which actual people and places are disguised as fictional characters. Roman à clef is French for “novel with a key.”