manifold

adjective man·i·fold \ ˈma-nə-ˌfōld \

Updated on: 18 Apr 2018

1 a : marked by diversity or variety

performs the manifold duties required of him
—J. H. Ferguson

b : many

the manifold details

2 : comprehending or uniting various features : multifarious

the romantic symphony, with its manifold melodic content
—P. H. Lang

3 : rightfully so-called for many reasons

a manifold liar

4 : consisting of or operating many of one kind combined

a manifold bellpull

—

manifoldly

play \-ˌfōl(d)-lē\ adverb

—

manifoldness

play \-ˌfōl(d)-nəs\ noun

See manifold defined for English-language learners

See manifold defined for kids

Examples of manifold in a Sentence

The benefits of this approach are manifold.
the manifold attractions of that state make it an ideal destination for a family vacation

Recent Examples of manifold from the Web

When the layers between soldier and citizen weren’t so manifold.

— matt gallagher, WIRED, "Army of 01101111: The Making of a Cyber Battalion," 27 Mar. 2018
Just as any good road warrior shells out for a laptop case, iPad users will reap the manifold benefits of protection, portability and security from a decent iPad case.

— john herrman, Popular Mechanics, "How to Replace Your Laptop with an iPad: Apps and Accessories," 1 Nov. 2010
Check the manual to see if the PCV valve is a check valve or some other method for metering manifold vacuum into the crankcase.

— mike allen, Popular Mechanics, "How to Find a Vacuum Leak," 28 Feb. 2011
Unlike in the cases of Weinstein or even Al Franken, where revelations unfolded across manifold news cycles lasting weeks and even months, NBC appeared to endure its beating in a single, horrid day.

— joe pompeo, The Hive, "Lauer’s “Double Life”: Inside NBC, the Network Is Trying to Expunge the Lauer Era," 7 Dec. 2017
The 90-minute pilot, made available to stream in August, is maybe the series’s finest episode, setting up the manifold characters and their various arcs with a structure that loosens considerably later on.

— sophie gilbert, The Atlantic, "The Deuce Is Magnificent Television," 8 Sep. 2017
Each of her primary characters seems to represent a particular pillar of society—politics, religion, media, crime—which allows Alderman to examine the manifold implications of the power’s arrival.

— sophie gilbert, The Atlantic, "What If Women Had The Power?," 22 Oct. 2017
For all their manifold differences, Clinton and Nixon share this commitment to the arena, a passionate intensity about never giving up.

— jon meacham, New York Times, "‘What Happened’? They Lost. With Her Memoir, Hillary Clinton Joins a Haunted Club," 12 Sep. 2017
The president's manifest and manifold inadequacies might awaken a slumbering Congress to the existence of its Article I powers and responsibilities.

— george will, Alaska Dispatch News, "Will Congress awaken from its long slumber?," 10 Sep. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'manifold.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of manifold

Middle English, from Old English manigfeald, from manig many + -feald -fold

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

See Words from the same year

manifold Synonyms

Synonyms

divers, multifarious, myriad;

Near Antonyms

homogeneous, homogenous, monolithic, unmixed, unvaried;

alike, identical, same;

distinct, distinctive, individual, separate;

alone, lone, only, sole, solitary;

singular, unique;

heterogeneous, heterogenous, miscellaneous, mixed, sundry, various;

different, diverse, unlike, varied;

manifold

adverb

: many times : a great deal

will increase your blessings manifold

Origin and Etymology of manifold

see ¹manifold

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

See Words from the same year

manifold

verb

transitive verb

1 : to make manifold : multiply

2 : to make several or many copies of

intransitive verb

: to make several or many copies

Recent Examples of manifold from the Web

Few in government are even trying to police Trump’s manifold financial conflicts of interest.

— michelle goldberg, Slate Magazine, "Where Are the Good Republicans?," 28 Mar. 2017
The challenges for Takata’s acquirer will be manifold.

— dawn mccarty, Bloomberg.com, "Roiled by Air-Bag Crisis, Takata Files for Bankruptcy Protection," 25 June 2017
Trump uses Iranian threat as leverage, Iraq okays output cuts through March 2018, and manifold political uncertainties buffet the pound.

— luke kawa, Bloomberg.com, "Five Things You Need to Know to Start Your Day," 22 May 2017

Origin and Etymology of manifold

see ¹manifold

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

See Words from the same year

manifold

noun

: something that is manifold: such as

a : a whole that unites or consists of many diverse elements

the manifold of aspirations, passions, frustrations
—Harry Slochower

b : a pipe fitting with several lateral outlets for connecting one pipe with others; especially : a fitting on an internal combustion engine that directs a fuel and air mixture to or receives the exhaust gases from several cylinders

c : set 21

d : a topological space in which every point has a neighborhood that is homeomorphic to the interior of a sphere in Euclidean space of the same number of dimensions

See manifold defined for English-language learners