variants
also nicknacks
as in ornamentals
a small object displayed for its attractiveness or interest
a variety of pretty porcelain knickknacks adorned the mantel
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Recent Examples of knickknacks
Whether antiques, cherished knickknacks, or heirlooms, items that are very delicate and/or precious to the customer are typically items house cleaners won’t want to mess with in order to cut down the risk of damaging them.
—
Patricia Shannon, Southern Living, 11 Feb. 2026
Displaying books, plants, and knickknacks in your office looks extra stylish with this set of four wall cubbies; the top of each cubby offers extra open space to store even more items.
—Sophia Beams, Better Homes & Gardens, 17 Jan. 2026
Portland artist Maggie Rudy has a knack for knickknacks.
—Air Mail, 6 Dec. 2025
Among the totems, knickknacks, and ephemera in Will Shortz’s home-cum-museum, and one of his favorite items, is a copy of the 1924 book inscribed by Dick Simon and Max Schuster, sent to its source of inspiration.
—Literary Hub, 25 Nov. 2025
Plant, half a century removed from Golden God status, even found some space to bustle the hedgerows of NPR’s knickknacks and shelves during the instrumental breaks.
—Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 21 Nov. 2025
Out with trendy gadgets, fast fashion and clutter-creating décor or knickknacks – things that feel exciting in the moment but are quickly forgotten.
—Michael Luchs, The Conversation, 12 Nov. 2025
Read on to shop our picks for the best stocking stuffers and mini delights for this holiday season—including sweet treats, cold-weather accessories, and charming knickknacks.
—Audrey Lee, Architectural Digest, 15 Oct. 2025
With six tiers and two extra shelves at the base, there’s room to show off your favorite reads, plus a plant or a couple knickknacks.
—Toni Sutton, PEOPLE, 6 Oct. 2025
Patricia Shannon, Southern Living, 11 Feb. 2026
Displaying books, plants, and knickknacks in your office looks extra stylish with this set of four wall cubbies; the top of each cubby offers extra open space to store even more items.
—Sophia Beams, Better Homes & Gardens, 17 Jan. 2026
Portland artist Maggie Rudy has a knack for knickknacks.
—Air Mail, 6 Dec. 2025
Among the totems, knickknacks, and ephemera in Will Shortz’s home-cum-museum, and one of his favorite items, is a copy of the 1924 book inscribed by Dick Simon and Max Schuster, sent to its source of inspiration.
—Literary Hub, 25 Nov. 2025
Plant, half a century removed from Golden God status, even found some space to bustle the hedgerows of NPR’s knickknacks and shelves during the instrumental breaks.
—Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 21 Nov. 2025
Out with trendy gadgets, fast fashion and clutter-creating décor or knickknacks – things that feel exciting in the moment but are quickly forgotten.
—Michael Luchs, The Conversation, 12 Nov. 2025
Read on to shop our picks for the best stocking stuffers and mini delights for this holiday season—including sweet treats, cold-weather accessories, and charming knickknacks.
—Audrey Lee, Architectural Digest, 15 Oct. 2025
With six tiers and two extra shelves at the base, there’s room to show off your favorite reads, plus a plant or a couple knickknacks.
—Toni Sutton, PEOPLE, 6 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for knickknacks
Noun
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To get the most benefits from DE, read our simple application tips for vegetables, herbs, ornamentals, and houseplants.—
Lauren Landers,
The Spruce,
10 Mar. 2026
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Unlike ornamentals, which generally all go into the ground around Mother’s Day, vegetable crops have a specific planting window for success.—
Anthony Reardon,
Kansas City Star,
25 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Folks from around here are known to put almost anything on a barbecue pit, and Jack Stack has all the usual suspects—brisket, turkey, sausage, pork, and chicken—plus novelties like lamb ribs and their massive Crown Prime Beef Ribs.—
Robert F. Moss,
Southern Living,
12 Mar. 2026
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Best Shopping Desert General Store Zuchowicki and his wife Françoise Lazard curate a selection of clothing, jewelry, souvenirs, novelties, and books at Desert General Store, importing items from around the world.—
Patricia Doherty,
Travel + Leisure,
25 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The store’s display of wooden German pieces, for example, are reproductions of a line of German ornaments from the late 1920s.—
Emily M. Olson,
Hartford Courant,
15 Mar. 2026
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Behind them a young man with a paint-flecked beard followed the designer about the set, twitching the hem of the velvet curtains hung at the window and rearranging the ornaments on the mantelpiece.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
13 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The behemoth roadside spectacle also welcomes travelers with dozens of gas pumps, a grinning beaver mascot, and a country-store-feeling home section stocked with over-the-top souvenirs.—
Kaitlyn Yarborough,
Southern Living,
12 Mar. 2026
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Plan a day—and bring an extra suitcase—for souvenirs.—
Patricia Doherty,
Travel + Leisure,
12 Mar. 2026
Noun
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In 2022, Mimosa Echard won the Prix Marcel Duchamp and exhibited the installation Escape more at the Centre Pompidou in Paris—a display consisting of glass walls, streams of water and urine, pollen, ginkgo tree eggs, newsprint, films, and assorted tchotchkes, among other items.—
Theo Belci,
Artforum,
1 Feb. 2026
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Taylor then lights a cigarette, sets the tchotchkes aflame, and fury-walks out the door.—
Raechal Shewfelt,
Entertainment Weekly,
22 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Amenities included bagpipe music by the Northern Illinois Pipes & Drums, free face painting, food for sale by local businesses, Irish step dancers, as well as ample candy, trinkets and green beads handed out as parade-route freebies.—
Karie Angell Luc,
Chicago Tribune,
16 Mar. 2026
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KitschCraft & Charms Gen Z and Gen Alpha are driving growth in playful accessories and resin trinkets to decorate everything from our phones to our footwear—and this trend might just extend to other generations too.—
Joseph Erbentraut,
Better Homes & Gardens,
10 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Knickknacks.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/knickknacks. Accessed 22 Mar. 2026.
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