1
as in ornamental
a small object displayed for its attractiveness or interest
be careful of the fragile curios on the end tables
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in rarity
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
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.
Recent Examples of curio
Wes Anderson's latest curio, The Phoenician Scheme, held strong in its second week of release to score the No. 6 spot with a $6.2 million take.
—
Ryan Coleman, EW.com, 8 June 2025
Trapped: Mind-Altering Shorts Date & Venue TBA Tap into the collective unconscious of a rogue’s gallery of grifters, hermits, and sociopaths with our infamous showcase of gloriously confounding cinematic curios.
—Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 12 May 2025
Everton’s first goal was the nadir for that curios theme of United’s display.
—Laurie Whitwell, The Athletic, 23 Feb. 2025
The owners of a Florida curio shop have been arrested for selling human remains on Facebook Marketplace, according to the Orange City Police Department.
—Megan Forrester, ABC News, 14 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for curio
Ryan Coleman, EW.com, 8 June 2025
Trapped: Mind-Altering Shorts Date & Venue TBA Tap into the collective unconscious of a rogue’s gallery of grifters, hermits, and sociopaths with our infamous showcase of gloriously confounding cinematic curios.
—Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 12 May 2025
Everton’s first goal was the nadir for that curios theme of United’s display.
—Laurie Whitwell, The Athletic, 23 Feb. 2025
The owners of a Florida curio shop have been arrested for selling human remains on Facebook Marketplace, according to the Orange City Police Department.
—Megan Forrester, ABC News, 14 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for curio
Recent Examples of Synonyms for curio
Noun
-
Aphids are tiny soft-bodied pests that feed on a variety of plants, including vegetables, ornamentals, trees, shrubs, and houseplants.—
Arricca Elin SanSone,
Southern Living,
12 July 2025
-
Scales attack a variety of plants including woody ornamentals such as boxwoods, camellias and hollies, young trees such as maples, and houseplants.—
Arricca Elin SanSone,
Southern Living,
26 June 2025
Noun
-
Even in cities with high EV penetration rates—including San Francisco, Oslo, and Amsterdam—electric taxis remain a rarity.—
Clay Chandler,
Fortune,
19 July 2025
-
That's a rarity, as SpaceX is known for its rocket reuse; one of the company's Falcon 9 boosters has a whopping 29 launches under its belt.—
Mike Wall,
Space.com,
16 July 2025
Noun
-
Grab some tasty souvenirs for my friend’s pantry back home.—
Leslie Kelly,
Forbes.com,
21 July 2025
-
The same goes for the extensive selection of souvenirs and t-shirts, which are expertly crammed onto shelves along the walls.—
Kaitlyn Yarborough,
Southern Living,
18 July 2025
Noun
-
These are very tastefully laid off, with walks and carriage drives, and are covered with a profusion of rare exotics, beautiful flowers, and semi-tropical plants of every variety known to this climate.—
Michael Barnes,
Austin American Statesman,
4 July 2025
-
The question is, if our native plants evolved under the local conditions, how on earth do these exotics outcompete them?—
Paul Cappiello,
The Courier-Journal,
2 July 2025
Noun
-
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
Noun
-
In our woeful orthography, choir, and liar rhyme, daughter and laughter don’t, and knickknack has four—count them, four—entirely useless K’s.—
Gabe Henry,
Time,
15 Apr. 2025
-
Tired of lining Instagram owner Mark Zuckerberg’s pockets without any return, Tapia recently spearheaded the work to open an accompanying online shop, the Los Feliz General Store, which sells shirts and knickknacks.—
Nate Rogers,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Curio.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/curio. Accessed 30 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share