various

adjective var·i·ous \ ˈver-ē-əs \

Definition of various

1 :of an indefinite number greater than one

stop at various towns

2 :individual, separate

rate increases granted in the various states

3 a :of differing kinds :multifarious

b :dissimilar in nature or form :unlike

4 :varicolored

birds of various plumage

5 :having a number of different aspects or characteristics

a various place

6 archaic :variable, inconstant

—

variousness

noun

See various defined for English-language learners

See various defined for kids

Examples of various in a Sentence

He has lived in places as various as New York and Beijing.
for their various and bizarrely shaped plumage, males of the bird of paradise species have few rivals

Recent Examples of various from the Web

Various polls show that a majority oppose using their tax dollars to build the wall.

— terrence dopp, Bloomberg.com, "How Trump’s Wall Could Shut Down the Government," 30 Aug. 2017
Users have been tweeting out various photos and captioning the with Matt's comment in an effort to show him that, gender studies professors aside, his tweet just doesn't make sense.

— brittney mcnamara, Teen Vogue, "Internet Uses Memes to Shut down Sexist Hurricane Harvey Tweet," 29 Aug. 2017
Among the special events will be a beer and wine tasting at 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 1; the Kids Matter Skaters' Picnic at 11 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 2; a rib cook-off at 1 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 3; and various eating contests Sunday, Sept. 3.

— michelle mullins, Naperville Sun, "This Week in Naperville," 29 Aug. 2017
Youngsters also kept busy with four bounce houses, and vendors sold various T-shirts and memorabilia.

— sue ellen ross, Post-Tribune, "Fans flock to Beatles Fest for music, camaraderie," 28 Aug. 2017
Dinners, an extensive tasting and other events for wine buffs and professionals will be held in various locations throughout the city.

— florence fabricant, New York Times, "Chelsea Market Expands With a Food-Focused Floor," 28 Aug. 2017
One detective was cardiologist Peter Libby at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, who determined that various molecules recruit macrophages and other immune cells to blood vessels.

— jennifer couzin-frankel, Science | AAAS, "Anti-inflammatory cuts risk of heart attack," 27 Aug. 2017
See, for several examples, that 2009 New Yorker profile, sprinkled throughout with instances of Arpaio worming his way toward being close to celebrities, and commanding media presence at various cruel stunts.

— danielle tcholakian, Longreads, "The Collected Crimes of Sheriff Joe Arpaio," 26 Aug. 2017
Five hundred children and 300 adults are involved in various mission activities, such as religious education, lectures, performances and worship services, Pillai said.

— kimberly fornek, chicagotribune.com, "Burr Ridge residents object to proposed asphalt plant near forest preserve," 25 Aug. 2017

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

Origin and Etymology of various

Middle English, from Latin varius "having contrasting colors, of different kinds, changeable" (of uncertain origin) + Middle English -ous, -os -ous

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First Known Use: 15th century

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various Synonyms

Synonyms

chromatic, colored, kaleidoscopic, motley, multicolored, multihued, polychromatic, polychrome, prismatic, rainbow, varicolored, varied, variegated, colorful

Antonyms

colorless; monochromatic, monochromic, monotone, self-colored, solid

Related Words

iridescent, opalescent; brave, bright, brilliant, gay, vibrant; flashy, garish, gaudy, loud, showy, splashy; checkered, dotted, patterned, plaid, plaided, striped; dappled (also dapple), marbled, mottled, parti-color (or parti-colored), piebald, pied, pinto; flecked, specked, speckled, spotted; banded, barred, brindled (or brindle), streaked, striated; bichrome, bicolored (or bicolor), dichromatic, trichromatic, tricolor (or tricolored), two-tone, two-toned

Near Antonyms

achromatic; bleached, decolorized, faded, washed-out; dull, faint, gray (also grey), neutral, pale, pallid, unbrilliant

Synonym Discussion of various

different, diverse, divergent, disparate, various mean unlike in kind or character. different may imply little more than separateness but it may also imply contrast or contrariness.

- different foods

diverse implies both distinctness and marked contrast.

- such diverse interests as dancing and football

divergent implies movement away from each other and unlikelihood of ultimate meeting or reconciliation.

- went on to pursue divergent careers

disparate emphasizes incongruity or incompatibility.

- disparate notions of freedom

various stresses the number of sorts or kinds.

- tried various methods

various

pronoun, plural in construction

Definition of various

:an indefinite number of separate individuals greater than one

have read various of her essays

First Known Use of various

1877

VARIOUS Defined for English Language Learners

various

adjective

Definition of various for English Language Learners

—used to refer to several different or many different things, people, etc.
: different from each other

VARIOUS Defined for Kids

various

adjective var·i·ous \ ˈver-ē-əs \

Definition of various for Students

1 :of different kinds

On the walls, repeated in various colors, hung several portraits of Queen Victoria …
—Mary Norton, The Borrowers

2 :different one from another :unlike

The projects are in various stages of completion.

3 :made up of an indefinite number greater than one

Various church groups called meetings.
—Richard Peck, A Year Down Yonder

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