novelty

/ˈnɒvlti/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈnɑːvlti/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈnä-vəl-tē/ (ame, mw)

novelty — 名詞

  • noveltysingular
  • noveltiesplural

1. how new and different from what is familiar something is, which makes people fin

1.名詞B2
釋義

新奇；新鮮

新穎且不尋常的特質

how new and different from what is familiar something is, which makes people find it interesting or attention-grabbing

例句

The novelty of living in a big city wore off after Tamar's first six months.

住在大城市的新奇感，Tamar 住了六個月後就消失了。

collocation: novelty wears off

Beatrix enjoyed the novelty of walking to work instead of driving every day.

Beatrix 很享受每天走路上班而非開車的新鮮感。

pattern: the novelty of + gerund

同義詞
  • newness

    more direct and matter-of-fact; lacks the connotation of excitement that 'novelty' carries

  • originality

    focuses on creativity and inventiveness rather than simply being new or unfamiliar

  • freshness

    suggests something clean, lively, or unspoiled; common in food, ideas, and design contexts

反義詞
  • familiarity

    the state of knowing something well, which removes the element of surprise or interest

  • commonness

    suggests something is ordinary and lacks the quality of being new or unusual

文法句型

the novelty of [noun/noun phrase]

novelty + verb (wears off / fades)

用法筆記

Uncountable. Often followed by 'of + noun/gerund' to specify what is new. Frequently used with verbs like 'wear off' or 'fade' to describe loss of interest over time.

常見錯誤

❌The novelties of the job kept me excited for months.
✅The novelty of the job kept me excited for months.
💡sense 1 is uncountable; do not use the plural form.

2. any event, place, or thing you find interesting simply because you have not expe

2.名詞B2
釋義

新鮮事

未曾見過的有趣事物或經歷

any event, place, or thing you find interesting simply because you have not experienced it before

例句

For the children, riding a pony was a complete novelty they would not forget.

對孩子們來說，騎小馬是他們永遠不會忘記的新奇體驗。

pattern: be a [complete/real] novelty

After growing up in the desert, seeing rain was still a genuine novelty for Sirin.

在沙漠長大後，看到雨對 Sirin 來說仍是一件真正的新鮮事。

同義詞
  • first

    informal; often used as a noun ('a first for me'); suggests a single memorable occasion

  • new sensation

    emphasises the feeling of excitement or surprise more than the event itself

  • new experience

    more literal and neutral; less emphatic about the interesting quality

反義詞
  • old hat

    informal idiom meaning something familiar and boring from long experience

  • routine

    a regular, unexciting pattern of activity

文法句型

a novelty

be a novelty to [someone]

用法筆記

Countable — takes an article ('a novelty') and has a plural form ('novelties'). The preposition 'to' introduces the person who finds the experience new: 'That was a novelty to me.'

常見錯誤

❌It was novelty for me to use a tablet.
✅It was a novelty for me to use a tablet.
💡the indefinite article 'a' is required before 'novelty' in this sense.

3. a small manufactured object that is inexpensive and unusual in appearance or fun

3.名詞B1
釋義

小玩意

廉價的新奇小物品，常作為禮物

a small manufactured object that is inexpensive and unusual in appearance or function, often sold as a gift or souvenir

例句

Lukas picked up novelties from the street market to bring back for his cousins.

Lukas 在路邊攤買了些新奇小物，要帶回去送給表兄弟姊妹。

The gift shop sold key rings and other small novelties for tourists visiting the harbour.

這家禮品店賣鑰匙圈和其他小玩意，給來海港觀光的遊客。

collocation: small novelties

同義詞
  • trinket

    a small decorative item, often with little practical value; slightly more old-fashioned

  • knick-knack

    informal; emphasises small size and decorative function rather than unusualness

  • gimmick

    has a slightly negative connotation; suggests the item's unusual feature is a trick to attract buyers

反義詞
  • necessity

    something essential for daily life, the opposite of a decorative or amusing extra

  • everyday item

    an ordinary object without unusual features

文法句型

novelty + noun (item / shop / gift)

a novelty

用法筆記

Countable and can be used attributively before another noun ('novelty item', 'novelty shop'). Unlike sense 2, this sense does not carry the idea of a memorable experience — it refers only to a physical product.

常見錯誤

❌I bought a novelty as a gift.
✅I bought a novelty item as a gift.
💡the attributive 'item' is often added to avoid confusion with sense 2 (new experience).