Definition of myriad
1 : ten thousand
2 : a great number a myriad of ideas
Indulge Your Inner Word Nerd
myriad was our Word of the Day on 10/27/2016. Hear the podcast!
Theme music by Joshua Stamper ©2006 New Jerusalem Music/ASCAP
Is myriad a 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.
Examples of myriad in a Sentence
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
Recent Examples of myriad from the Web
-
The city has always had a strong cultural scene, so events aside, its myriad of museums will continue to draw a cultural crowd.
-
Dry ice is utilized internally at NIH for a myriad of applications.
-
But Beyer still had plenty to say about Metro’s myriad problems and what needs to happen in coming years to make the system safer and more reliable.
-
The problem with Brexit is reconciling the political need to assuage the myriad concerns that generated the June 23 vote to leave the European Union with the reality of a U.K. economy that is deeply entwined with the continent.
-
But beyond reducing those dangers, ruling out first use would also bring myriad benefits.
-
In many cultures a vote can mean a myriad of things.
-
Figuring out how to get around once you’re there can be a frustrating exercise, requiring hours to research the myriad of air, rail, and bus options.
-
Even more important, however, the company has held out the promise of approval by the F.D.A. for myriad other tests besides the one for herpes that was approved last year.
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.
Did You Know?
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."
Origin and Etymology of myriad
Greek myriad-, myrias, from myrioi countless, ten thousand
First Known Use: 1555
Other Number-Related Terms
Definition of myriad
1 : innumerable those myriad problems; also : both numerous and diverse myriad topics
2 : having innumerable aspects or elements the myriad activity of the new land — Meridel Le Sueur
Examples of myriad in a Sentence
… 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 of myriad from the Web
-
Despite the myriad options for getting to and around the South Pole these days and all that room for activities (ski trip, anyone?), for some reason an option for reviewing doesn't seem to exist here.
-
In New York City, with its myriad options and variety of admission methods, the process is more complicated, and many students attend school far from home.
-
Dozens of lawsuits challenging the ban have been filed, producing myriad rulings that mainly went against the administration.
-
Mr. Trump and his businesses are enmeshed in myriad other litigation.
-
Right now Geely is the golden child among China’s myriad auto brands because its new car models and small SUVs have been in the sweet spot of what consumers want.
-
The concerns about these Games were myriad, and many of them stemmed from the water.
-
That gave them an instant, Olympian view of myriad microbes at once.
-
The cases, which all appear to be related, have given rise to myriad theories.
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.
Origin and Etymology of myriad
see 1myriad
First Known Use: 1735
MYRIAD Defined for English Language Learners
MYRIAD Defined for Kids
Definition of myriad for Students
: a very large number of things a myriad of possibilities myriads of stars
Definition of myriad for Students
: many in number : extremely numerous Underneath the heaps were all the myriad little … things … — Lynne Reid Banks, The Indian in the Cupboard
Learn More about myriad
-
See words that rhyme with myriad Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for myriad Spanish Central: Translation of myriad Nglish: Translation of myriad for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of myriad for Arabic speakers
Seen and Heard
What made you want to look up myriad? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).
Writing? Check your grammar now!