novelty
/ˈnɒv(ə)lti
/noun (plural novelties)
1 [mass noun] The quality of being new, original, or unusual: the novelty of being a married woman wore off...
- They mistook novelty for originality, creativity, and competence.
- The novelty of the quality improvement approach was welcomed by patients and staff as a way to change the system.
- But creativity means appearance of novelty, which by definition exists outside the confines of a deterministic universe.
Synonyms
originality, newness, freshness, unconventionality, unfamiliarity, unusualness, difference, imaginativeness, creativity, creativeness, innovativeness, innovation, modernity, modernness, break with tradition
1.1 [count noun] A new or unfamiliar thing or experience: in 1914 air travel was still a novelty...
- Spanish football is experiencing a novelty: the successful export of some of its better footballers.
- My companion had never eaten sushi before and found the whole experience a novelty.
- Casual sexual experiences are not a novelty for either of them (they have both had sex with other partners in the toilets of a particular pub, for example).
1.2 [as modifier] Denoting an object intended to be amusing as a result of its unusual design: a novelty teapot...
- She designed a novelty cake using a scene from the Lord of the Rings film based on the novel of the same name by J.R. Tolkien for inspiration.
- You are probably one of those students who uses novelty fonts in your designs because they look ‘cool.’
- He's either an amusing novelty act or just plain annoying.
2A small and inexpensive toy or ornament: he bought chocolate novelties to decorate the Christmas tree...
- You can shop for novelties such as silver ornaments and local garments, while forgetting the madness of crowded department stores on Shanghai's Huaihai Lu.
- They sent 15 samples of toys, decorations and novelties to Worcester Scientific Services for testing.
- It had what looked like several antique ornaments and novelties on display.
Synonyms
knick-knack, trinket, bauble, toy, trifle, gewgaw, gimcrack, ornament, curiosity;
memento, souvenir;
North American kickshaw
archaic gaud, folderol
Origin
Late Middle English: from Old French novelte, from novel 'new, fresh' (see novel2).