novelty

noun

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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.

Synonyms More Example Sentences Phrases Containing novelty Learn More About novelty

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 Cons: The Slim Pen 2’s haptic feedback, while neat, feels a bit like a novelty, and only works on the Surface Pro 8 and Surface Pro Studio. — Kenny Wassus, WSJ, 21 May 2022 Now that indoor movie theaters have reopened, outdoor movies have returned to their status as a retro novelty rather than a pandemic lifeline — but that doesn’t mean that audiences still can’t enjoy a night of cinema under the stars. — Dana Gerber, BostonGlobe.com, 20 May 2022 The company is reportedly also planning on launching a new brand of content focused on unscripted livestream shows and stand-up specials, a novelty for the service. — Tristan Bove, Fortune, 18 May 2022 What makes the series a standout is how well its able to inject novelty into a genre so familiar. — Josh St. Clair, Men's Health, 17 May 2022 People with high levels of openness are - as Kendra Cherry writes - ‘open-minded and approach new things with curiosity and tend to seek out novelty. — Rebecca Vogels, Forbes, 16 May 2022 More than a novelty or fad fueled by reality TV shows, homes less than 400 square feet make environmental and economic sense, and can help counter the housing crisis, studies found. — oregonlive, 12 May 2022 And all that novelty presents an edge, at least for the first game Friday. — Greg Moore, The Arizona Republic, 5 May 2022 But Morimoto has cornered his niche market of doing nothing for cash, and many people now hire him for the novelty. — Michelle Ye Hee Lee And Julia Mio Inuma, Anchorage Daily News, 21 Mar. 2022 See More

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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Dictionary Entries Near novelty

novel news

novelty

novelty siding

Statistics for novelty

Last Updated

23 May 2022

Cite this Entry

“Novelty.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/novelty. Accessed 24 May. 2022.

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More Definitions for novelty

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