plural novelties
Synonyms of novelty
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.

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.
In 1970, the Japanese American geneticist Susumu Ohno had published Evolution by Gene Duplication, which posited that the duplication of individual genes was an underappreciated source of evolutionary novelty. Carrie Arnold contributing, Quanta Magazine, 2 Sep. 2026 Founded in 2019, Whatnot built its audience on novelties and collectibles. Ryan Baker, CNBC, 1 Sep. 2026 The High-Stakes Future of Prediction Markets Prediction markets have moved from a novelty to a mainstream consumer product. Semafor Events, semafor.com, 1 Sep. 2026 The murder happened when technology was a quirky novelty, not a permanent shadow. Jeff Weiss, HollywoodReporter, 1 Sep. 2026 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 4 Sep. 2026.

Kids Definition

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

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
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