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

• agglomerate
• agglomeration
• alphabet soup
• assortment
• botch
• clutter
• collage
• crazy quilt
• farrago
• gallimaufry
• grab bag
• gumbo
• hash
• hodgepodge
• hotchpotch
• jambalaya
• jumble
• jungle
• litter
• macédoine
• medley
• mélange
• miscellanea
• miscellany
• mishmash
• mixed bag
• montage
• motley
• muddle
• olio
• olla podrida
• omnium-gatherum
• pastiche
• patchwork
• patchwork quilt
• potpourri
• ragbag
• ragout
• rummage
• salad
• salmagundi
• scramble
• shuffle
• smorgasbord
• stew
• tumble
• variety
• welter

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

Now, Bacon regularly posts videos of himself singing to a menagerie of farm animals, which included four goats, two pigs, three miniature horses, and three alpacas as of 2023. —Brenton Blanchet, Peoplemag, 23 Feb. 2024

Myriad theories about aliens, wormholes, government cover-ups, and time travel are proffered by a menagerie of weirdos—fanatical researchers, ex-government officials, huckster media personalities. —Lucas Ropek / Gizmodo, Quartz, 19 Mar. 2024

Bowen is also the creator of the Wonderland Animals, a menagerie of fiberglass animals — including a turtle, pelican, elephant, camel, kangaroo, swans, horse, and lion — that have accompanied the Plaza bunnies since the 70s. —Sidney Steele, Kansas City Star, 7 Mar. 2024

In an interview for the We Rate Dogs YouTube channel released on Wednesday, the actress, 51, explained that her large menagerie of family pets includes a dog named Birdie, a cat named Moose, another dog named Kitty, and a puppy named Bugs. —Erin Clack, Peoplemag, 3 Mar. 2024

The menagerie spans North America’s largest snake to its smallest falcon to Florida’s only endemic mammal — the wide-eyed, sand-loving Florida mouse. —Ryan Ballogg, Miami Herald, 29 Feb. 2024

Now that the larger dinosaur species in places such as the Hell Creek Formation are well known, experts have been making a new effort to find, piece together and recognize the menagerie of smaller species that lived alongside the iconic giants. —Riley Black, Smithsonian Magazine, 24 Jan. 2024

This week’s annual menagerie revealed new devices like the TCL Nxtpaper 14 and a working model of Motorola’s rolling phone display. —Florence Ion / Gizmodo, Quartz, 28 Feb. 2024

Australia can bring to mind a wild menagerie of venomous creatures, giant snakes, and fist-sized spiders. —EW.com, 30 Nov. 2023

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