Definition of MYRIAD

Is myriad a noun?: Usage Guide

Noun

Recent criticism of the use of myriad as a noun, both in the plural form myriads and in the phrase a myriad of, seems to reflect a mistaken belief that the word was originally and is still properly only an adjective. As the entries here show, however, the noun is in fact the older form, dating to the 16th century. The noun myriad has appeared in the works of such writers as Milton (plural myriads) and Thoreau (a myriad of), and it continues to occur frequently in reputable English. There is no reason to avoid it.

Did You Know?

Noun

In English, the "ten thousand" sense of myriad mostly appears in references to Ancient Greece, such as the following from English historian Connop Thirwall's History of Greece: "4000 men from Peloponnesus had fought at Thermopylae with 300 myriads." More often, English speakers use myriad in the broad sense—both as a singular noun ("a myriad of tiny particles") and a plural noun ("myriads of tiny particles"). Myriad can also serve as an adjective meaning "innumerable" ("myriad particles"). While some usage commentators criticize the noun use, it's been firmly established in English since the 16th century, and in fact is about 200 years older than the adjective. Myriad comes from Greek myrias, which in turn comes from myrioi, meaning "countless" or "ten thousand."

Examples of myriad in a Sentence

Noun

Mr. McCullough hails Adams for being uncannily prescient … foreseeing a myriad of developments, from the difficulty of defeating the British … to the divisive consequences of slavery. — Michiko Kakutani, New York Times, 22 May 2001 Sectarian Protestantism reinforced both American individualism and the tendency of the society to be self-organizing in a myriad of voluntary associations and communities. — Francis Fukuyama, Atlantic, May 1999 Out in the barrios, under the nipa palms, he listened to the myriads of humming cicadas and the call of the geckos. — Nina FitzPatrick, Fables of the Irish Intelligentsia, 1991 To read Marie Corelli, you had to be able to follow several hundred printed words at a time, and there were myriads in England who were up to it. — Hugh Kenner, A Sinking Island, 1987 … laced his fingers behind his head and stared at the myriads of tiny colored dots that make up darkness. — John Steinbeck, East of Eden, 1952 There are a myriad of possibilities. the car can be outfitted with a myriad of options

Adjective

… the more quotations that could be found, the more easily the subtle differences between the (possibly) myriad usages and meanings of any single word could be identified. This is how historical dictionaries are made … — Simon Winchester, The Meaning of Everything, 2003 The age of white guilt, with its myriad corruptions and its almost racist blindness to minority individuality, may someday go down like the age of racism went down … — Shelby Steele, Harper's, November 2002 World War II accelerated the progress of science and technology into the microcosm. Scientists and technologists played tag with one another in their search for microscopic control. With mathematics and myriad theories, they defined a new microcosm. — Joseph A. Amato, Dust, 2000 The old system's problems were myriad. the myriad problems that today's cities face

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

That’s because electrical charges moving through the material got stuck at the boundaries between the myriad crystallites making up the material. — Robert F. Service, Science | AAAS, "LEDs created from wonder material could revolutionize lighting and displays," 4 June 2019 Along with the myriad use cases for cooking with it, mixologists at buzzy bars and restaurants around the country are incorporating it into your drinks. — Mike Garten, Marie Claire, "We Mixed Up 6 CBD Cocktails—Care to Join Us?," 16 Apr. 2019 This week, Uzi posted some videos to Instagram that show off all of his myriad talents at once. — Rachel Hahn, Vogue, "What’s Better—Lil Uzi Vert’s Dance Moves or His Shearling Coat?," 4 Apr. 2019 But the real finishing Parisienne touch came down to a myriad of oversize costume earrings adorned with metallics, diamanté, and fringe that functioned like va-va-voom hair accessories. — Lauren Valenti, Vogue, "A Guide to Easy French Girl Glamour—Straight From the Chloé Runway," 27 Sep. 2018 Colonel Gilpin has been given the unenviable task of dealing with a myriad of untenable issues. — Travis Andersen, BostonGlobe.com, "20 state troopers face possible discipline in overtime scam probe," 20 Mar. 2018 Puerto Rico As cleanup following the 2017 storms continues, the island is inviting tourists to take advantage of a myriad of savings. — Melanie Reffes, USA TODAY, "Summer's on sale at luxurious Caribbean resorts," 15 May 2018 In his Sunday column, John Myers takes a quick look at the myriad of election laws that make the tabulation of votes stretch out a week or more. — Christina Bellantoni, latimes.com, "The California primary is tomorrow. Get ready for a long night (or week!)," 4 June 2018 Art lovers can enjoy some wonderful viewing experiences at a myriad of destinations throughout the West Valley. — Oriana Parker, azcentral, "Where to see art in the West Valley," 21 Apr. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

In the meantime, policy makers have adopted myriad amendments to water down the price impact on consumers and businesses. — oregonlive.com, "Oregon’s massive cap-and-trade bill inches forward," 6 June 2019 Parents offer myriad reasons for wanting to share their experiences on social media: There’s a sense of community there, a source of solidarity and support amid the triumphs and pitfalls of parenting. — Caitlin Gibson, Twin Cities, "Gen Z kids are the stars of their parents’ social media — and they have opinions about that," 5 June 2019 Amore puts Tebow’s crossover fame into historical context, highlighting the myriad examples of gridiron heroes who were converted — with varying degress of success — into baseball players. — Chris Brodeur, courant.com, "Goat Tracks Podcast: Tebow Time," 7 May 2018 There will be myriad ways to catch the show online, too. — Chloe Foussianes, Town & Country, "How to Watch The Spanish Princess," 4 May 2019 Make no mistake, there are myriad things to know before deciding in that confused split second to use deadly force; things that will help get you through what happens next, criminally and civilly. — Paul Jenkins, Anchorage Daily News, "Crime got you angry and frustrated? Keep your cool, my friends," 20 Jan. 2018 There’s something timeless and old-fashioned about plumes, and designers found myriad ways to use them. — Emily Farra, Vogue, "The 8 Major Trends of the Spring 2020 Bridal Season," 17 Apr. 2019 Despite being part of a centuries-old institution with myriad rituals and customs, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle aren't afraid to break from tradition. — Caroline Hallemann, Town & Country, "How Meghan Markle's Birth Plan Will Differ from Kate Middleton's," 11 Apr. 2019 Gifted people are attracted to certain locations for myriad reasons. — WSJ, "Explaining the U.S. Urban Housing Shortages," 16 Jan. 2019

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