novelty
noun
nov·el·ty
ˈnä-vəl-tē 
plural novelties
1
: something new or unusual
the novelty of a self-driving car
2
3
: a small manufactured article intended mainly for personal or household adornment
—usually used in plural
Disney novelties filled the shelves.
4
: something (such as a song or food item) that provides often fleeting amusement and is often based on a theme
—often used attributively
The movie included a few novelty songs.
Examples of novelty in a Sentence
the novelty of space exploration
Electric-powered cars are still novelties.
Eating shark meat is a novelty to many people.
Recent Examples on the Web
Some people love familiarity, and some people love novelty.
—
Sam Yellowhorse Kesler, NPR, 12 Mar. 2025
Disneyland rolls out 12 Star Wars popcorn buckets and collectible novelties
The digital nature of the carnival midway-style games always meant Imagineering could update the Toy Story dark ride with new games and seasonal overlays, which has been done on other attractions.
—Brady MacDonald, Orange County Register, 7 Mar. 2025
Paris has a lot of novelty on offer this season — from shopping to dining and art exhibitions.
—Lily Templeton, WWD, 4 Mar. 2025
At the time, the ones that garnered the most attention due to their futuristic novelty and fulfillment of unmet needs were those enabling users to control their devices using eye tracking and non-typical speech.
—Gus Alexiou, Forbes, 2 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for novelty
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Sam Yellowhorse Kesler, NPR, 12 Mar. 2025
Disneyland rolls out 12 Star Wars popcorn buckets and collectible novelties
The digital nature of the carnival midway-style games always meant Imagineering could update the Toy Story dark ride with new games and seasonal overlays, which has been done on other attractions.
—Brady MacDonald, Orange County Register, 7 Mar. 2025
Paris has a lot of novelty on offer this season — from shopping to dining and art exhibitions.
—Lily Templeton, WWD, 4 Mar. 2025
At the time, the ones that garnered the most attention due to their futuristic novelty and fulfillment of unmet needs were those enabling users to control their devices using eye tracking and non-typical speech.
—Gus Alexiou, Forbes, 2 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for novelty
Cite this Entry
“Novelty.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/novelty. Accessed 16 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
novelty
noun
nov·el·ty
ˈnäv-əl-tē
plural novelties
1
: something new or unusual
2
: the quality or state of being novel : newness
3
: a small article intended mainly as an unusual ornament or toy
—usually used in plural
Legal Definition
novelty
noun
nov·el·ty
ˈnä-vəl-tē
plural novelties
: the quality or state of being new : quality of being different from anything in prior existence
satisfied the requirement of novelty for a patent on the design
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