menagerie

noun

me·​nag·​er·​ie

mə-ˈnaj-rē, 

-ˈna-jə- 

also -ˈnazh-rē, 

-ˈna-zhə-

1

a

: a place where animals are kept and trained especially for exhibition

b

: a collection of wild or foreign animals kept especially for exhibition

2

: a varied mixture

A menagerie of comedians …

—TV Guide

A menagerie of grotesque statues stood in the garden.

Did you know?

Back in the days of Middle French, ménagerie meant “the management of a household or farm” or “a place where animals are tended.” When English speakers adopted menagerie in the 1600s, they applied it specifically to places where wild and often also foreign animals were kept and trained for exhibition, as well as to the animals so kept. This second meaning was eventually generalized to refer to any varied mixture, especially one that includes things that are strange or foreign to one’s experience.

Synonyms of menagerie

• assortment
• jumble
• variety
• medley
• collage

Examples of menagerie in a Sentence

a menagerie of rare creatures

the living room is eclectically furnished with a menagerie of garage-sale finds

Recent Examples on the Web

Starring alongside the new menagerie will be Telegrapher’s original product lineup, consisting of Fox, Gorilla, Gorilla-S, Elephant and Rhino, a 2026 TEC Awards nominee. —Mark Sparrow, Forbes.com, 20 Jan. 2026

David is known to show off his menagerie and home garden. —Marina Watts, PEOPLE, 12 Jan. 2026

But my favorite of all is my menagerie of perfumes. —Ali Faccenda, InStyle, 5 Jan. 2026

For much of the latter part of her life, Bardot lived alone behind high walls in Saint-Tropez, surrounded by a menagerie of cats, dogs and horses. —Ingrid Melander, USA Today, 28 Dec. 2025

Word History

Etymology

French ménagerie, from Middle French, management of a household or farm, from menage

First Known Use

1676, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

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Kids Definition

menagerie

noun

me·​nag·​er·​ie mə-ˈnaj-(ə-)rē 

also -ˈnazh-

1

: a place where animals are kept and trained especially for exhibition

2

: a collection of wild or foreign animals kept especially for exhibition