What does newfangleness mean?
Newfangleness is the habit or quality of being captivated by novelty, especially when something is valued simply because it is new. As a noun, it is usually critical: it implies an excessive attachment to fashionable ideas, gadgets, or styles and a willingness to replace what works. The related adjective newfangled can describe the object of that attachment, as in “newfangled devices,” and can carry either mild disapproval or stronger criticism. The noun is more distinctly pejorative, framing novelty as a habit rather than simply a feature of a thing. It is most useful in cultural criticism, satire, and commentary on consumer technology, where writers may contrast newfangleness with prudence, continuity, or respect for established practice. Although comparatively uncommon in everyday conversation, the word is memorable because it compresses a familiar social criticism into a precise label.
nounThe quality or habit of being captivated by novelty, especially for its own sake. It is often used disparagingly to describe an excessive enthusiasm for new gadgets, fashions, or ideas.
- The habit or quality of being fascinated by novelty, especially when novelty is valued simply because it is new.
"His newfangleness turned every practical tool into something to be replaced as soon as it became familiar."
"The designer's newfangleness was evident in every season's increasingly impractical styles."
"She dismissed the committee's newfangleness and asked them to consider whether the proposal was genuinely useful."
Usually uncountable; the plural is possible in formal or enumerative contexts but is rare.
"She catalogued the successive newfanglednesses that had briefly caught the public's imagination."
Newfangleness is the vice that mistakes “new” for “better.”
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does newfangleness come from?
Newfangleness is an English noun formation created by adding the suffix -ness to the established adjective newfangled. The adjective combines the prefix new- with fangled and came to mean something newly devised, novel, unfamiliar, or conspicuously modern. Adding -ness shifts the focus from the newly fashioned thing to the broader quality or habit of pursuing novelty, giving the word its present critical sense.
How newfangleness is actually used
A relatively uncommon, literary noun with a normally critical or ironic tone. It is generally treated as an uncountable abstract noun, though a plural form is occasionally possible.
Easily confused with newfangleness
Newfangled is an adjective describing something that is novel or newly devised, whereas newfangleness is a noun naming the tendency to value novelty for its own sake.