Novelty means the quality of being new, original, or unusual. When something has novelty, it feels fresh and different from what you've experienced before. A magic trick might delight you with its novelty the first time you see it, but lose that special feeling after you've watched it performed twenty times.

The word often describes the appeal of something precisely because it's new or unfamiliar. A novelty item is something people buy mainly because it seems interesting or amusing in a new way: a pen that writes in sparkly ink, socks covered in pictures of tacos, or a pencil sharpener shaped like a rocket ship. These things catch your attention because they're different from the ordinary versions, though the novelty might wear off once they become familiar.

Novelty can drive important discoveries too. Scientists value novelty in research, looking for new approaches to old problems. Inventors seek novelty in their designs, creating tools or machines that work in ways no one has tried before.

The phrase the novelty wears off means that something stops feeling special once you get used to it. Your new video game might be thrilling for the first week, but after a month, it's just another game in your collection.