multifarious

adjective mul·ti·far·i·ous \ ˌməl-tə-ˈfer-ē-əs \

Updated on: 29 Mar 2018

Definition of multifarious

: having or occurring in great variety : diverse

participated in multifarious activities in high school

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multifariousness

noun

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Examples of multifarious in a Sentence

the multifarious interests and activities in which Benjamin Franklin immersed himself

Recent Examples of multifarious from the Web

The future is multifarious, many-platformed; the internet makes television, like punk rock before it, available to entrepreneurial outsiders with a work ethic and not necessarily a lot of money.

— robert lloyd, latimes.com, "What the cancelation of shows like 'One Mississippi' and 'I Love Dick' may portend for the future," 14 Mar. 2018
The presenters on the telecast were far more diverse — far more representative of the multifarious energies of popular culture — than the winners.

— manohla dargis, a.o. scott and wesley morris, New York Times, "#MeToo, Harvey Weinstein and Awkward TV: Our Critics Talk Oscars," 5 Mar. 2018
The two recording artists earned nominations for a multifarious list of collaborations and fusions, which points to a new wave of international pop in urban Latin.

— marjua estevez, Billboard, "Latin Grammys 2017: 20 Lit Tracks From This Year's Urban Nominees," 3 Nov. 2017
Kelly Cunningham, National University System NO: The multifarious legislation will not rectify 50 years of chronic dysfunction in California’s housing mismanagement.

— roger showley, sandiegouniontribune.com, "State housing legislation: Enough done?," 13 Oct. 2017
But what to do with a director, especially one as capable of such stylistic reinvention, such adaptability to the multifarious mutations of the commercial musical, as Prince?

— chris jones, chicagotribune.com, "'Prince of Broadway': A bunch of Hal Prince scenes can't sum up the man," 24 Aug. 2017
The only thing that has prevented Twitter’s stock from falling to single digits over the past few months has been the multifarious rumor of a possible acquisition.

— vanityfair.com, "After Trump, Will Twitter Wither?," 4 Jan. 2017
The only thing that has prevented Twitter’s stock from falling to single digits over the past few months has been the multifarious rumor of a possible acquisition.

— nick bilton, The Hive, "After Trump, Will Twitter Wither?," 4 Jan. 2017
The increase is the result of a new goods and services tax (GST), introduced at midnight Saturday, which has turned India's multifarious state tax regimes into a single market for the first time.

— vidhi doshi, Washington Post, "Why a thousand movie theaters have closed their doors to fans in India," 3 July 2017

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

Was multifarious Used in Medieval Times?

Dictionary makers have dated the first appearance of "multifarious" in print as 1593 - and rightly so - but before that time another word similar in form and meaning was being used: multifary, meaning "in many ways" and appearing (and disappearing) in the 15th century. Before either of the English words existed, there was the Medieval Latin word multifarius (same meaning as "multifarious"), from Latin multifariam, meaning "in many places or "on many sides." "Multi-," as you may know, is a combining form meaning "many." A relative of "multifarious" in English is "omnifarious" ("of all varieties, forms, or kinds"), created with "omni-" ("all") rather than "multi-."

Origin and Etymology of multifarious

Medieval Latin multifarius, from Latin multifariam in many places

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1593

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

multifarious Synonyms

Synonyms

divers, manifold, 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;

MULTIFARIOUS Defined for English Language Learners

multifarious

adjective

Definition of multifarious for English Language Learners

: of many and various kinds

Law Dictionary

multifarious

adjective mul·ti·far·i·ous \ ˌməl-ti-ˈfar-ē-əs \

legal Definition of multifarious

: having or occurring in great variety : diverse; also : uniting usually in an improper way distinct and independent matters, subjects, or causes

point one is multifarious, and we must break it down for analysis: a) the alleged reformation of the decree; and b) the order that appellant pay
—Spradley v. Hutchison, 787 S.W.2d 214 (1990)

— compare misjoinder

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