novelty

noun

nov·​el·​ty ˈnä-vəl-tē 

plural novelties

1

: something new or unusual

the novelty of a self-driving car

2

: the quality or state of being novel : newness

… a general uncritical acceptance of novelty as advance …

—H. 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 before another noun

The movie included a few novelty songs.

Synonyms of novelty

• newness
• innovation
• freshness
• originality

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

Also, at that early stage in the transition from linear to streaming, summer was still a dead zone on the TV calendar and the ability to binge a full new season of programming had yet to lose its novelty. —Judy Berman, Time, 26 Dec. 2025

The novelty claims rest on physical modularity— not software, digital customization or interchangeable straps. —Alexandra Harrell, Sourcing Journal, 26 Dec. 2025

The hero of the book’s first section is the sixteenth-century Spanish priest and writer Bartolomé de las Casas, who straddled the Old World and the New, issuing startling moral novelties to both. —Vinson Cunningham, New Yorker, 25 Dec. 2025

Whether driven by Gen X nostalgia, Gen Z novelty, or the power of a handful of uber-stars to move merchandise (mazel tov on your impending nuptials, Taylor Swift), this is good news. —Andrew Gilbert, Mercury News, 23 Dec. 2025

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

Phrases Containing novelty

• the novelty wears off

Kids 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