conversation piece

noun

1. any object that arouses comment because of some striking or unusual quality.

2. group portraiture representing more or less fashionable people either in an interior or landscape setting.

3. a play that relies for its effect mainly on the cleverness of its dialogue rather than on plot or action.

conversation piece

noun

1. something, esp an unusual object, that provokes conversation

2. (esp in 18th-century Britain) a group portrait in a landscape or domestic setting

3. a play emphasizing dialogue

Word History and Origins

Origin of conversation piece¹

First recorded in 1775–85

Idioms and Phrases

An unusual object that arouses comment or interest, as in That bust of Aunt Nettie is ugly but it's an excellent conversation piece. In the early 1700s this same term was used for a particular kind of painting that represented a group, often a family, arranged as though they were conversing with one another. Later in the century the term was extended to any object that stimulates conversation.

Example Sentences

My knife also became something of a conversation piece—friends I cooked for wanted to try it, drawing it from its homemade cover, crafted from old shoe boxes.

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McCarthy knew it would be a conversation piece almost from the moment he built it.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

The drama motion picture category holds less charisma, with “Dune: Part Two” being the biggest popular culture conversation piece on the list, and “Conclave” holding a distant second place.

Read more on Salon

So perhaps in an effort to keep viewers interested at halftime, O’Neal pulled out quite the conversation piece.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

There are a couple of things to keep in mind when searching for that perfect conversation piece for your space.

Read more on Seattle Times

Related Words

• abnormality 
• anomaly 
• characteristic 
• curiosity 
• idiosyncrasy 
• incongruity 
• irregularity 
• peculiarity 
• phenomenon 
• quirk 
• rarity