miscellaneous

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adjective mis·cel·la·neous \ ˌmi-sə-ˈlā-nē-əs , -nyəs \

Definition of miscellaneous

1 :consisting of diverse things or members :heterogeneous

2 a :having various traits

b :dealing with or interested in diverse subjects

as a writer I was too miscellaneous
—George Santayana

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miscellaneously

adverb

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miscellaneousness

noun

See miscellaneous defined for English-language learners

See miscellaneous defined for kids

Examples of miscellaneous in a Sentence

The coyotes, in other words, also munched rabbits, woodchucks, meadow mice, deer mice, jumping mice, and freelance miscellaneous booty like frogs and fallen apples and muskrats, … —Edward Hoagland, Harper's, June 2007
The sandhogs' word for a miscellaneous happening in which a sandhog is injured is mishap. —Alec Wilkinson, Double Take, Summer 2001
… we came upon what must have been his camp, a rather elaborate shelter made of lashed saplings and covered with plastic sheeting; empty Clorox bottles were scattered around, along with rope, canned goods, and what Huck Finn would have called his traps—the miscellaneous pots, clothing, and whatnot that you lug around through life. —Franklin Burroughs, The River Home, 1992
a miscellaneous collection of tools
the bottom of the drawer was always a miscellaneous accumulation of odds and ends

Recent Examples of miscellaneous from the Web

Miscellaneous Observations: Shout-out to Molly’s Sintra Bronte T-shirt!

— cate young, Cosmopolitan, "Insecure Recap: Issa Plays the Field and Molly Makes a Shocking Decision," 21 Aug. 2017
According to data from the government firm Bartel & Associates, roughly 2,200 safety and miscellaneous retirees who have served 12 to 14 years with the city of Glendale receive pension benefits.

— jeff landa, Glendale News-Press, "Glendale establishes trust fund to mitigate escalating pension costs," 25 July 2017
Nearly 40% involved HIV/AIDS, followed by, in descending order: developmental biology; eye development and disease; other infectious diseases like hepatitis C; miscellaneous; and in utero diseases, toxic exposures, and congenital conditions.

— meredith wadman, Science | AAAS, "House Republicans move to bar funding for NIH fetal tissue research," 13 July 2017
Rivers estimates 20 percent are for fires or miscellaneous calls.

— denise coffey, Courant Community, "Volunteer Finds Satisfaction As Emergency Responder," 12 July 2017
The tax rate has been generating $800,000 to $900,000 a year and, with miscellaneous revenue, the fund had about $1 million in it a year, said county attorney Scott McClure.

— amy lavalley, Post-Tribune, "Doubling tax OK'd to help with county bridge repairs," 12 July 2017
Eligible fish in the spearfishing division include barracuda, cobia, grouper, jack crevalle, sheepshead, mangrove snapper, triggerfish and miscellaneous.

— todd masson, NOLA.com, "Food, fun, fish featured at Golden Meadow-Fourchon rodeo," 28 June 2017
McRobbie's compensation included base pay of $600,000, bonuses of $150,000 and miscellaneous benefits totaling $306,000, according to the Chronicle's data.

— ryan martin, Indianapolis Star, "Purdue president Mitch Daniels' pay is nearly half of IU president," 28 June 2017
On the third day of Firefly—so hot not even a double shower could wash away the second skin of sweat/sunscreen/bug spray/miscellaneous filth one accrues at a camping-heavy music festival—

— bridget dufour, Marie Claire, "Alisa Xayalith of The Naked and Famous Did the Exact Opposite of What Was Expected of Her," 26 June 2017

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