novelty

noun

nov·​el·​ty ˈnä-vəl-tē How to pronounce novelty (audio)
plural novelties
1
: something new or unusual
the novelty of a self-driving car
2
: the quality or state of being novel : newness
an uncritical acceptance of novelty as advanceH. M. Jones
A toy's novelty soon wears off.
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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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

Word History

Etymology

Middle English novelte, borrowed from Anglo-French novelté, from novel "new, novel entry 1" + -té -ty

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of novelty was in the 14th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Novelty.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/novelty. Accessed 16 Mar. 2025.

Kids Definition

novelty

noun
nov·​el·​ty ˈnäv-əl-tē How to pronounce novelty (audio)
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 How to pronounce novelty (audio)
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

More from Merriam-Webster on novelty

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