curio

American  

[kyoor-ee-oh] / ˈkjʊər iˌoʊ /

noun

• curios
  plural

1. any unusual article, object of art, etc., valued as a curiosity.

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curio British  

/ ˈkjʊərɪˌəʊ /

noun

1. a small article valued as a collector's item, esp something fascinating or unusual

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Usage

What does curio mean? A curio is a small object that’s unusual, novel, or interesting, typically one that’s part of a collection of other such objects. A curio can also be called a curiosity, and in fact it’s a shortening of that word. In a curio collection, there is often a variety of objects. The requirement for an item’s addition to the collection is usually just that it has to be curious, meaning that it arouses curiosity or is interesting in some way. Just about any small thing that one finds interesting can be called a curio, but the word is most often applied to things like antique trinkets, small handcrafted items, or natural objects, like rocks, fossils, and shells. The word curio is commonly associated with the type of case often used to display such collections, which is called a curio cabinet and usually looks like a bookcase with glass doors. The term curio shop typically refers to a souvenir shop that sells curios and other novelty items. Example: When I travel, I like to buy things made by local artisans to add to my curio collection.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• curios
  plural

Etymology

Origin of curio

First recorded in 1850–55; shortened from curiosity

Explanation

A curio is a strange or interesting collectible object. Your vintage Pez dispenser collection, for example, is a group of curios. Something worth collecting, whether it's a rare coin or a strange 19th century photograph or a bizarre clown painting, is a curio. You might even have a special, tall cabinet with glass doors for protecting and displaying your curios — you can call this a curio cabinet. The word curio, first used in the mid-19th century, originally meant specifically a collectible item from "the Far East," and was a shortened form of curiosity.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

curio curios

Locals shuffled through makeshift aisles bounded by curio cabinets, wardrobes and home bars styled with faux cocktails for an imaginary party.

From Salon ● Dec. 2, 2025

The new directive prohibits them from 15 sectors including mobile money transfers, tour guiding, small-scale mining, on-farm crop buying, beauty salons, curio shops and establishing radio and TV operations.

From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2025

It’s wonderful that she’s working and seems to be having fun, but the subgenre is such a strange curio that one has to take stock at a certain point.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 31, 2024

As an album, “New Blue Sun” tends toward the curio — both endurance and Rorschach test.

From New York Times ● Feb. 2, 2024

Like most of the other Chinese children who played in the back alleys of restaurants and curio shops, I didn’t think we were poor.

From "The Joy Luck Club" by Amy Tan

The album’s 11 songs were childlike curios, with Mr. Richman announcing several of the titles at the start, accompanied by a pithy, monotone explanation.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026

The retro versions may read like curios now, but tucked inside is a very modern impulse: making something generous out of what you have.

From Salon ● Sep. 23, 2025

"They are just very charismatic, very playful, very social, very curios and very intelligent and that's why people love them," she said.

From BBC ● Nov. 1, 2024

It’s nothing compared with other collectors, some of whom even build out special rooms in their homes to devote to their cardboard curios, she says.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 20, 2023

Flames burn low in the gilded fireplace, the tall bookcases stuffed with curios and relics loom in shadow.

From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern

Related Words

• trinket