1
as in ornamentals
a small object displayed for its attractiveness or interest
be careful of the fragile curios on the end tables
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in rarities
something strange or unusual that is an object of interest
a museum's collection of curios brought back from the Far East by 19th-century traders
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of curios
Meanwhile, admirers, colleagues and gallery workers have sent her curios from New Mexico, Tennessee, New England and beyond.
—
Leigh-Ann Jackson, Los Angeles Times, 20 Feb. 2026
Other items will also be available, such as jewelry, curios, knick-knacks, puzzles and more.
—Andrea Manes, Oc Register, 15 Jan. 2026
Advertisement While most fish-out-of-water stories are keen to highlight the strangeness of the world in which the protagonist has embedded themselves, Rental Family treats the curios of Japanese culture with the utmost respect and a naturalistic approach.
—Barry Levitt, Time, 21 Nov. 2025
Frankenstein was even part of the dark ’n’ gritty action-horror hybrid trend of the 2010s, bringing us weird curios like Frankenstein’s Army (2013) and I, Frankenstein (2014).
—Katie Rife, Vulture, 9 Nov. 2025
Made in Ancient Egypt, which opened this month at Cambridge’s Fitzwilliam Museum, features commemorative stela, golden coffins and masks, and sundry curios created in a style that changed very little down the centuries.
—Brendan Ruberry, semafor.com, 13 Oct. 2025
But more and more, Black List darlings wind up as buzzy Netflix curios like They Cloned Tyrone and May December.
—Benjamin Svetkey, HollywoodReporter, 1 Oct. 2025
The business, which also includes a restaurant and a gift shop filled with Native American jewelry and other curios, largely depends on visitors to the national park.
—Ryan Heinsius, NPR, 22 Sep. 2025
Robotaxi tests began there in 2023, and the company started offering demo rides to curios spectators at Resorts World in late July.
—Salvador Rodriguez,annie Palmer, CNBC, 10 Sep. 2025
Leigh-Ann Jackson, Los Angeles Times, 20 Feb. 2026
Other items will also be available, such as jewelry, curios, knick-knacks, puzzles and more.
—Andrea Manes, Oc Register, 15 Jan. 2026
Advertisement While most fish-out-of-water stories are keen to highlight the strangeness of the world in which the protagonist has embedded themselves, Rental Family treats the curios of Japanese culture with the utmost respect and a naturalistic approach.
—Barry Levitt, Time, 21 Nov. 2025
Frankenstein was even part of the dark ’n’ gritty action-horror hybrid trend of the 2010s, bringing us weird curios like Frankenstein’s Army (2013) and I, Frankenstein (2014).
—Katie Rife, Vulture, 9 Nov. 2025
Made in Ancient Egypt, which opened this month at Cambridge’s Fitzwilliam Museum, features commemorative stela, golden coffins and masks, and sundry curios created in a style that changed very little down the centuries.
—Brendan Ruberry, semafor.com, 13 Oct. 2025
But more and more, Black List darlings wind up as buzzy Netflix curios like They Cloned Tyrone and May December.
—Benjamin Svetkey, HollywoodReporter, 1 Oct. 2025
The business, which also includes a restaurant and a gift shop filled with Native American jewelry and other curios, largely depends on visitors to the national park.
—Ryan Heinsius, NPR, 22 Sep. 2025
Robotaxi tests began there in 2023, and the company started offering demo rides to curios spectators at Resorts World in late July.
—Salvador Rodriguez,annie Palmer, CNBC, 10 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for curios
Noun
-
To get the most benefits from DE, read our simple application tips for vegetables, herbs, ornamentals, and houseplants.—
Lauren Landers,
The Spruce,
10 Mar. 2026
-
Unlike ornamentals, which generally all go into the ground around Mother’s Day, vegetable crops have a specific planting window for success.—
Anthony Reardon,
Kansas City Star,
25 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The hip-hop mogul obviously has no shortage of rarities to showcase, with his collection now estimated to be worth several million.—
Rachel Cormack,
Robb Report,
18 Mar. 2026
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Those moments are indelibly downloaded to my box of rarities; my keepsakes.—
Baz Bamigboye,
Deadline,
16 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Folks from around here are known to put almost anything on a barbecue pit, and Jack Stack has all the usual suspects—brisket, turkey, sausage, pork, and chicken—plus novelties like lamb ribs and their massive Crown Prime Beef Ribs.—
Robert F. Moss,
Southern Living,
12 Mar. 2026
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Best Shopping Desert General Store Zuchowicki and his wife Françoise Lazard curate a selection of clothing, jewelry, souvenirs, novelties, and books at Desert General Store, importing items from around the world.—
Patricia Doherty,
Travel + Leisure,
25 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Gyllenhaal lovingly crafts this scarred, stapled and eccentric Bonnie and Clyde duo then tosses them into a landscape of curiosities that matches their weird.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
4 Mar. 2026
-
Connecticut should treat those cases as warnings, not curiosities.—
Timothy M. Herbst,
Hartford Courant,
2 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The behemoth roadside spectacle also welcomes travelers with dozens of gas pumps, a grinning beaver mascot, and a country-store-feeling home section stocked with over-the-top souvenirs.—
Kaitlyn Yarborough,
Southern Living,
12 Mar. 2026
-
Plan a day—and bring an extra suitcase—for souvenirs.—
Patricia Doherty,
Travel + Leisure,
12 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The store’s display of wooden German pieces, for example, are reproductions of a line of German ornaments from the late 1920s.—
Emily M. Olson,
Hartford Courant,
15 Mar. 2026
-
Behind them a young man with a paint-flecked beard followed the designer about the set, twitching the hem of the velvet curtains hung at the window and rearranging the ornaments on the mantelpiece.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
13 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Amenities included bagpipe music by the Northern Illinois Pipes & Drums, free face painting, food for sale by local businesses, Irish step dancers, as well as ample candy, trinkets and green beads handed out as parade-route freebies.—
Karie Angell Luc,
Chicago Tribune,
16 Mar. 2026
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KitschCraft & Charms Gen Z and Gen Alpha are driving growth in playful accessories and resin trinkets to decorate everything from our phones to our footwear—and this trend might just extend to other generations too.—
Joseph Erbentraut,
Better Homes & Gardens,
10 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Whether antiques, cherished knickknacks, or heirlooms, items that are very delicate and/or precious to the customer are typically items house cleaners won’t want to mess with in order to cut down the risk of damaging them.—
Patricia Shannon,
Southern Living,
11 Feb. 2026
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Displaying books, plants, and knickknacks in your office looks extra stylish with this set of four wall cubbies; the top of each cubby offers extra open space to store even more items.—
Sophia Beams,
Better Homes & Gardens,
17 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Curios.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/curios. Accessed 21 Mar. 2026.
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