variety

noun

va·​ri·​e·​ty və-ˈrī-ə-tē 

plural varieties

1

: the quality or state of having different forms or types : multifariousness

2

: a number or collection of different things especially of a particular class : assortment

3

a

: something differing from others of the same general kind : sort

b

: any of various groups of plants or animals ranking below a species : subspecies

4

: variety show

Synonyms

• assortment
• diverseness
• diversity
• heterogeneity
• heterogeneousness
• manifoldness
• miscellaneousness
• multifariousness
• multiplicity
• variousness

Examples of variety in a Sentence

I was surprised by the variety of the choices that were available.

My life needs more variety.

Recent Examples on the Web

The Army has taken a variety of steps to protect the streets, including laying metal plates along the parade's route. —Lolita C. Baldor, Arkansas Online, 15 June 2025

This is a destination where residents enjoy live music, public art, a quaint historic district, breweries, and a variety of local restaurants. —Lydia Mansel, Travel + Leisure, 14 June 2025

The city’s downtown has seen a variety of protests, from quiet to boisterous. —Carlos Rodriguez, Chicago Tribune, 14 June 2025

There is a variety of match times on offer too, ranging from three minutes per player right up to 20 mins. —Barry Collins, Forbes.com, 14 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Middle French or Latin; Middle French varieté, borrowed from Latin varietāt-, varietās, from varius "having contrasting colors, various entry 1" + -etāt- -etās, variant of -itās -ity

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing variety

• garden-variety
• sub-variety
• variety is the spice of life
• variety meat
• variety show
• variety store

Rhymes for variety

• anxiety
• impiety
• propriety
• satiety
• sobriety
• society
• antianxiety
• intersociety
• contrariety
• impropriety
• inebriety
• notoriety

Kids Definition

variety

noun

va·​ri·​ety

və-ˈrī-ət-ē

plural varieties

1

: the quality or state of having different forms or types

2

: a number or collection of different things : assortment

3

a

: something differing from others of the class to which it belongs

b

: any of various groups of plants or animals within a species that are separated from other groups by characteristics not constant enough or too unimportant to separate species

Medical Definition

variety

noun

va·​ri·​e·​ty və-ˈrī-ət-ē 

plural varieties

: any of various groups of plants or animals ranking below a species : subspecies