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

But there’s a vast menagerie of curves out there, composed of numerous infinite families, and each has its own structure of rational points. —Joseph Howlett, Scientific American, 24 Feb. 2026

But this menagerie is not viewed as a problem for residents, but rather an amenity. —Richard Ruelas, AZCentral.com, 18 Feb. 2026

When the Cassini–Huygens mission arrived in the Saturnian system in 2004, it was greeted by a menagerie of mysterious moons with bizarre properties. —Keith Cooper, Space.com, 17 Feb. 2026

Gomis, who’s credited along with five other editors, cuts from one ceremony to the other without warning, creating a vivid menagerie of sights, sounds, rites, languages, faces and places. —Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 14 Feb. 2026

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