novelty

noun

nov·el·ty | \ ˈnä-vəl-tē

plural novelties

Definition of novelty

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 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 attributively The movie included a few novelty songs.

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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

But incorporating the novelty of a bow into an otherwise-strict adult working wardrobe stumped me. — Grace Cook, WSJ, "How to Wear a Pussycat Blouse Like a Rock Muse," 9 Apr. 2019 The novelty can make for a nice story, such as when Romine played all nine positions in one game two seasons ago. — Noah Trister, The Seattle Times, "Big league teams appreciate the value of versatility," 29 Mar. 2019 The novelty of being able to watch someone else's dinner get made from halfway across the country was hilarious and thrilling. — Megan Geuss, Ars Technica, "Review: The June oven made me want a camera in every cooking device," 22 Dec. 2018 Aside from the novelty of sampling various hairs, documenting each look allows Trimbur to track the timeline of her treatment. — Calin Van Paris, Vogue, "This Los Angeles Dance Captain—And Breast Cancer Survivor—Has a Game Plan for Hair Loss and Chemotherapy," 11 Oct. 2018 By December, however, Avenatti’s presidential exertions had run their course, as some of the novelty wore off and other more credible candidates began ramping up their efforts. — James Queally, The Seattle Times, "Lawyer Michael Avenatti, accused of fraud and attempts to extort Nike, is arrested," 25 Mar. 2019 Since 2015, South African designer Thebe Magugu has been creating an eponymous brand that looks to novelty and culture to enhance the way that women dress. — Scarlett Newman, Teen Vogue, "This Year’s LVMH Prize Finalists Focus In On Sustainability In Fashion," 27 Mar. 2019 Another draw was jazz’s timbral novelty, with players manipulating their sounds to humorous effect. — John Check, WSJ, "‘Making Music American’ Review: Turning Swords Into Saxophones," 28 Dec. 2018 Once something of a novelty, these types of tubs have been popping up in properties around the world. — Ella Riley-adams, Vogue, "Is This the New Must-Have Bathtub?," 16 Aug. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'novelty.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

7 May 2019

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Time Traveler for novelty

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

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More Definitions for novelty

novelty

noun

English Language Learners Definition of novelty

: the quality or state of being new, different, and interesting

: something that is new or unusual : something novel

: something unusual and entertaining that is popular for a short period of time

See the full definition for novelty in the English Language Learners Dictionary

novelty

noun

nov·el·ty | \ ˈnä-vəl-tē

plural novelties

Kids Definition of novelty

1 : something new or unusual Grandma remembers when television was a novelty.

2 : the quality or state of being new or unusual The toy's novelty soon wore off.

3 : a small unusual ornament or toy

novelty

noun

nov·el·ty | \ ˈnä-vəl-tē

plural novelties

Legal Definition of novelty

: 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