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 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

The family costume isn’t complete without little Danny Torrance (played by Danny Lloyd), dressed in denim overalls, chunky novelty knits and red Converse sneakers. — Angela Velasquez, Footwear News, 30 Oct. 2026

If novelty is more your thing, contemporary art is also on the menu. — Shauna Lyon, New Yorker, 30 Oct. 2026

Agentic checkout, when AI agents complete purchases on a shopper’s behalf, is moving from novelty to infrastructure, and the next few years could redraw how people buy online. — Lauren Schuster, Kansas City Star, 29 Oct. 2026

The question now is whether shoppers counting every dollar will keep paying for products like cashmere-soft diapers once the novelty fades and if inflation keeps biting. — Phil Wahba, Fortune, 27 Oct. 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