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

In barely three years, AI has gone from a novelty that could write passable college essays to a technology that can generate lifelike video, clone human voices, and write software code so effectively that people with no programming experience are building apps on their own. —Andrew Rasiej, New York Daily News, 22 Mar. 2026

The dessert is one of Carvel's most recognizable menu items, alongside its novelty ice-cream cakes, with over two million flying off shelves last year. —Deirdre Bardolf, FOXNews.com, 20 Mar. 2026

While the robot appeared to be performing a programmed routine, its proximity to diners turned a novelty act into a potential safety threat. —Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 20 Mar. 2026

Staff encourage guests to skip novelty drinks in favor of classic Irish flavors. —Ana Gutierrez, Austin American Statesman, 17 Mar. 2026

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