novelty

noun

nov·​el·​ty ˈnä-vəl-tē How to pronounce novelty (audio)
plural novelties
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 advanceH. 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.

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Indoor cats, in particular, seem to benefit from the novelty of the cool, textured surface. Alice Gibbs, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 July 2025 By the finale, mostly thanks to Bana and Santiago, but in part because of the novelty of the setting, I was generally engaged with Untamed and even had a thought that rarely pops into my head these days: This could stand to be an episode or two longer. Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 17 July 2025 The seminal homeware line won’t be the only novelty at Plan C Frame. Sandra Salibian, Footwear News, 8 July 2025 This is an especially great pick for kids who don’t have a phone yet, but even the ones who do will love the novelty of taking a point-and-shoot camera on their adventures. Clint Davis, People.com, 7 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for novelty

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

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

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Novelty.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/novelty. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.

Kids Definition

novelty

noun
nov·​el·​ty ˈnäv-əl-tē How to pronounce novelty (audio)
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 How to pronounce novelty (audio)
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

More from Merriam-Webster on novelty

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