novelty
[noun]
Synonyms:
- newness, freshness, innovation, oddity, originality, strangeness, surprise, unfamiliarity, uniqueness
- gimmick, curiosity, gadget
- knick-knack, bauble, memento, souvenir, trifle, trinket

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Contrasted words: old story

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

nov‧el‧ty /ˈnɒvəlti $ ˈnɑː-/ noun (plural novelties)
[Date: 1300-1400; Language: Old French; Origin: novelté, from novel; ⇒ novel²]

1. [uncountable] the quality of being new, unusual, and interesting
novelty of
the novelty of the ideas
Many toys have no attraction beyond their novelty value.
It was fun for a while, but the novelty wore off (=it became boring).

2. [countable] something new and unusual which attracts people’s attention and interest:
Then the Internet was still something of a novelty.

3. [countable] an unusual, small, cheap object, often given as a present:
a selection of novelties and t-shirts
a novelty key-ring

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

novelty
noun
ADJ. great This tropical fruit is still a great novelty in Europe.
sheer The sheer novelty of the band's performance won them many fans.
NOVELTY + VERB wear off The novelty of her new job soon wore off.
NOVELTY + NOUN value A trip down a mine has great novelty value for most people.
PHRASES be something of a novelty At that time the motor car was still something of a novelty.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

novelty

be a novelty
At that time, air travel was still a novelty to many people.
the novelty wears off (=something stops seeming new and interesting)
Once the novelty had worn off he didn't play with his train set much.
be something of a novelty (=seem quite new and different)
At that time, cars were still something of a novelty.
be quite a novelty (=seem quite new and different)
In the 1970s, a woman sports reporter was quite a novelty.
the added novelty of something
You can attend the recording of the show, and get the added novelty of watching a radio programme being made.
sheer novelty (=used when emphaszing how new and different something seems)
Few pieces of music can match the sheer novelty of Sibelius's Sixth Symphony.
novelty value (=the extra interest that something receives because it is new)
The car still sells well, though the novelty value has worn off.
a novelty act (=a performance that is unusual and different)
Mike Michaels the Mechanical Magician was one of the best novelty acts I've seen.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲