novelty • \ˈnä-vəl-tē\ • noun
1. originality by virtue of being refreshingly novel
2. originality by virtue of being new and surprising
3. a small inexpensive mass-produced article
4. showy jewelry or ornament on clothing
The word novelty has appeared in 291 New York Times articles in the past year, including on Jan. 27 in the Scene City column “Chris Hemsworth Is the New Face of Australia” by Ben Widdicombe:
A number of notable Australians had gathered at Celsius in Bryant Park on the night before their country’s national holiday, Australia Day (Jan. 26), for an event announcing Mr. Hemsworth as the new global ambassador for Tourism Australia.
… Australia Day is a midsummer holiday, so the tall piles of snow left behind by New York’s weekend blizzard were a novelty for most of the guests. “It’s the first time I have experienced this kind of snowstorm,” said Ms. Bishop, who is the deputy leader of the Liberal Party and often mentioned as a potential prime minister. “It was thrilling and exhilarating.”
Think you know “novelty”? Quiz yourself:
The Word of the Day and the quiz question have been provided by Vocabulary.com. Learn more and see usage examples across a range of subjects in the Vocabulary.com Dictionary.