curiosities
Cabinet of wonders
Curiosities is the plural of curiosity, covering both senses: instances of wanting to know something, and objects that attract interest because they're unusual or rare.
The second sense dominates in the plural—a cabinet of curiosities holds strange artifacts, a shop sells curiosities and antiques.
The museum displayed curiosities from around the world.
Rare collectible objects
- bric-a-bracMiscellaneous small ornaments
- knickknacksSmall ornamental objects
- tchotchkesSmall decorative objects
- trinketsMinor decorative objects
baubles · objets d'art · memorabilia · ephemera · stamps · coins · figurines · miniatures
Enclosed storage furniture
- museumPublic exhibit space
- taxidermyPreserving animal skins lifelike
- fossilsPreserved ancient organism traces
- mineralsInorganic natural solids
gems · shells · insects · skeletons · bones · specimens · artifacts · relics
Eager desire to learn
- interestAttention, stake, or fee
- fascinationIntense absorbed interest
- wonderAmazement or curiosity
- explorationTraveling through unknown regions
investigation · questioning · probing · seeking · discovery · learning · searching · inquiry
Departure from the expected
- peculiarityUnusual distinguishing characteristic
- quirkPeculiar behavioral trait
- enigmaSomething hard to fathom
- aberrationDeviation from the norm
eccentricity · singularity · freak · grotesquerie · marvel · wonder · phenomenon · spectacle
Quality from past eras
- heirloomInherited family treasure
- relicPreserved ancient object
- artifactHuman-made historical object
- antiquityGreat age, ancient era
patina · provenance · restoration · Victorian · Edwardian · Art Nouveau · Baroque · Renaissance
In short supply
- uncommonSeldom occurring or found
- uniqueOnly one exists
- exoticStrikingly unusual, foreign-seeming
- esotericAccessible to few
one-of-a-kind · limited · exclusive · prized · sought-after · collector's item · museum piece · find
curios
Rare collectible objects
- bric-a-bracMiscellaneous small ornaments
- knickknacksSmall ornamental objects
- tchotchkesSmall decorative objects
trinkets · baubles · objets d'art · memorabilia · ephemera · stamps · coins · figurines · miniatures · postcards
cabinet
Enclosed storage furniture
- museumPublic exhibit space
- taxidermyPreserving animal skins lifelike
- fossilsPreserved ancient organism traces
minerals · gems · shells · insects · skeletons · bones · specimens · artifacts · relics · manuscripts
inquisitiveness
Eager desire to learn
- interestAttention, stake, or fee
- fascinationIntense absorbed interest
- wonderAmazement or curiosity
exploration · investigation · questioning · probing · seeking · discovery · learning · searching · inquiry · nosiness
anomaly
Departure from the expected
- peculiarityUnusual distinguishing characteristic
- quirkPeculiar behavioral trait
- enigmaSomething hard to fathom
aberration · eccentricity · singularity · freak · grotesquerie · marvel · wonder · phenomenon · spectacle · prodigy
vintage
Quality from past eras
antiquity · patina · provenance · restoration · Victorian · Edwardian · Art Nouveau · Baroque · Renaissance · medieval
scarce
In short supply
esoteric · one-of-a-kind · limited · exclusive · prized · sought-after · collector's item · museum piece · find · treasure
- circuscircus, big top, clown, clowns, ringmaster
- collectionscollection, collections, anthology, anthologies, compilation
- curioscurios, curio, knickknacks, knickknack, trinkets
- flea marketsvendors, stalls, booths, bargains, haggling
- knickknackstchotchkes, trinkets, curios, bric-a-brac, gewgaws
- quirkseccentricities, idiosyncrasies, peculiarities, oddities, foibles
curiositiesapathies
Lacks of concern
indifferences · disinterests · incuriosity · disinterest · apathy
curiositiesmundanities
Ordinary, unexciting matters
commonplaces · banalities · ordinariness · trivialities · staples
curiositiesfamiliarities
Close, informal knowledge
knowns · expectations · predictabilities · certainties · old hat
- cabinet of curiositiesCollection of rare oddities
curious, curiosity, curiously, incurious, curiouser, curiousness