novelty item

noun

A unique, humorous, or unconventional object designed primarily for amusement, aesthetic appeal, or as a gag gift rather than for practical utility.

“Near-synonym: bric a brac”

Similar
bric a brac
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Meanings

nounnovelty item (plural novelty items)

plural novelty items

  1. A unique, humorous, or unconventional object designed primarily for amusement, aesthetic appeal, or as a gag gift rather than for practical utility.

    Near-synonym: bric a brac

    1 more example

    Copper had been known since 3000 BcE, but long remained a novelty item, used mostly for trinkets.

    2010, Ian Morris, All About History, page 220

    Synonyms: bric a brac

Synonyms & antonyms

nounA unique, humorous, or unconventional object designed primarily for amusement, aesthetic appeal, or as a gag gift rather than for practical utility.

Similar
bric a brac
Also see
bric-a-brac
Cite this entry
APA

novelty item. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/novelty%20item

MLA

“novelty item.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/novelty%20item. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “novelty item,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/novelty%20item.

Source: novelty item on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.