novelty
Americannoun
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novelties
plural
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state or quality of being novel, new, or unique; newness.
the novelty of a new job.
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a novel occurrence, experience, or proceeding.
His sarcastic witticisms had ceased being an entertaining novelty.
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an article of trade whose value is chiefly decorative, comic, or the like and whose appeal is often transitory.
a store catering to tourists who loaded up with souvenir pennants and other novelties.
adjective
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Textiles.
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(of a weave) consisting of a combination of basic weaves.
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(of a fabric or garment) having a pattern or design produced by a novelty weave.
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(of yarn) having irregularities within the fibrous structure.
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of or relating to novelties as articles of trade.
novelty goods; novelty items.
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having or displaying novelties.
novelty shop.
noun
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the quality of being new and fresh and interesting
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( as modifier )
novelty value
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a new or unusual experience or occurrence
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(often plural) a small usually cheap new toy, ornament, or trinket
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of novelty
1350–1400; Middle English novelte < Middle French novelete < Late Latin novellitās newness. See novel 2, -ity
Explanation
Novelty is a newness or refreshing quality. Many college freshmen enjoy the novelty of living on their own — until it comes time to do that first load of laundry. You'll often hear people talk about the novelty of a new experience — imagine the excitement and anticipation of cracking open a novel you’ve never read before to help remember the word. But novelty is also a term for a small toy or trinket, usually mass-produced. Novelty shops sell all kinds of funny knickknacks, from personalized flashlight key chains to stuffed singing hamsters.
Vocabulary lists containing novelty
Brand Spankin' New: Words with Neo- and Nov-
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100 SAT Words Beginning with "N"
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30 GRE Words Beginning with "K" "L""M" and "N" and "O"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Eventually, the novelty of the road trip fades, and hope subsides.
From Salon ● Aug. 24, 2026
In the same way that regional brands like Shake Shack and In-N-Out have maintained cult followings for their novelty, Cane’s has no doubt benefited from the same kind of rarefied air.
From Slate ● Aug. 24, 2026
Graphing calculators are no longer the novelty they were roughly half a century ago, and the cost of components like LCD screens and processors has fallen since then.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 18, 2026
He said for many people Irish wine "is a curiosity, it's a novelty".
From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026
The novelty of the sensation wore off, and the true power of the experience became apparent.
From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson
These two stories might seem like unrelated novelties — a viral toy and a tech-bro flex from a provincial government.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 22, 2026
Like every year, robots are a major presence at CES, with companies hoping they will break into the mainstream as useful devices instead of novelties.
From Barron's ● Jan. 7, 2026
Youn sells mostly kitchenwares and other novelties, including ceramic teapots made in Korea and bird boxes handcrafted in France.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 10, 2025
Dr Jack Brown, lecturer at King's College London described the books as "wonderful... historical novelties".
From BBC ● Dec. 30, 2024
He also studied the games of Mark Taimanov, the 1956 champion of the Soviet Union—and a concert pianist—who introduced novelties in opening play that Fischer found instructive.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
