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

The canon can already be described as a bewildering artistic menagerie, including a perplexing assessment of misandrism, body horror by Brian Yuzna, killer toys from the ’90s, and more. —Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 11 Dec. 2025

The Cerratos live in the Brownsville/Allapattah area, where their home is something of a noisy menagerie. —Jessica Oliva, Miami Herald, 10 Dec. 2025

Want to get a closer look at the menagerie of worlds orbiting the sun? —Anthony Wood, Space.com, 6 Dec. 2025

Noah and his floating menagerie survived 40 days and nights of exterminating rain. —Andrew Gilbert, Mercury News, 1 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