multitudinous

1 of 2

adjective

mul·​ti·​tu·​di·​nous ˌməl-tə-ˈtüd-nəs 

-ˈtyüd-;

-ˈtü-dᵊn-əs, 

-ˈtyü-

1

: including a multitude of individuals : populous

the multitudinous city

2

: existing in a great multitude

multitudinous opportunities

3

: existing in or consisting of innumerable elements or aspects

multitudinous applause

multitudinously adverb

multitudinousness noun

multitudinousness

2 of 2

noun

mul·​ti·​tu·​di·​nous·​ness

plural -es

: the state or quality of being multitudinous

the multitudinousness of their wants

—Douglas Rimmer

Did you know?

“I am large, I contain multitudes.” So wrote Walt Whitman in his most celebrated poem, “Song of Myself.” He was expressing his ability to hold within himself contradictory statements, facets, opinions, beliefs, etc. Another, if less poetic, way of saying “I contain multitudes” might be “I am multitudinous,” using the sense of that five-syllable word meaning “existing in or consisting of innumerable elements or aspects.” Multitudinous doesn’t have a lot of meanings—three to be exact—but each one concerns, well, a lot. In addition to serving Whitmanesque purposes as noted above, multitudinous is the kind of highly expressive word that you can rely upon when you want something a little more emphatic than plain old numerous, as in “multitudinous possibilities.” Lastly, its original sense—still in use today—is a synonym of populous meaning “including a multitude of individuals,” as in “the multitudinous city.”

Synonyms of multitudinous

Adjective

• numerous
• many
• multiple

Examples of multitudinous in a Sentence

Adjective

Their lives have changed in multitudinous ways.

the multitudinous questions that seem to be an inevitable part of opening day at school

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Pride of Madeira, with fat, foot-long panicles covered with multitudinous bluish-purple florets, will flower in its second year of growth and continue to flower magnificently for another year or two before going into decline and flowering sporadically, if at all. —Joshua Siskin, Oc Register, 5 June 2026

This may be the denouement of all of Nilsson’s multitudinous and swarming work. —Jeremy Lybarger, Artforum, 2 June 2026

Here, Vogue adds a small chapter to that history, with five works by contemporary female artists, each considering the body in all its marvelous, multitudinous glory. —Vogue, 29 Apr. 2026

How could food from India’s 23 states — with multitudinous subregions and over a thousand dialects — ever be distilled into the generic naan, dal, butter chicken, dosa and sambar? —Kalpana Mohan, Mercury News, 4 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1603, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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Kids Definition

multitudinous

adjective

mul·​ti·​tu·​di·​nous ˌməl-tə-ˈt(y)üd-nəs 

-ᵊn-əs

: consisting of a multitude

multitudinous questions