miscellaneous

adjective

mis·​cel·​la·​neous ˌmi-sə-ˈlā-nē-əs 

-nyəs

1

: consisting of diverse things or members : heterogeneous

miscellaneous expenses/items

2

a

: having various traits

miscellaneous talent

b

: dealing with or interested in diverse subjects

… as a writer I was too miscellaneous …

—George Santayana

miscellaneously adverb

miscellaneousness noun

Synonyms of miscellaneous

• eclectic
• assorted
• varied
• mixed

Examples of miscellaneous in a Sentence

The coyotes, in other words, also munched rabbits, woodchucks, meadow mice, deer mice, jumping mice, and freelance miscellaneous booty like frogs and fallen apples and muskrats,  … —Edward Hoagland, Harper's, June 2007

The sandhogs' word for a miscellaneous happening in which a sandhog is injured is mishap. —Alec Wilkinson, Double Take, Summer 2001

… we came upon what must have been his camp, a rather elaborate shelter made of lashed saplings and covered with plastic sheeting; empty Clorox bottles were scattered around, along with rope, canned goods, and what Huck Finn would have called his traps—the miscellaneous pots, clothing, and whatnot that you lug around through life. —Franklin Burroughs, The River Home, 1992

a miscellaneous collection of tools

the bottom of the drawer was always a miscellaneous accumulation of odds and ends

Recent Examples on the Web

The kitchen’s handwash sink was completely inaccessible with multiple child car seats and miscellaneous household items stacked in front of it. —Veronica Fernandez-Alvarado updated January 23, Sacbee.com, 23 Jan. 2026

The November gains were broad based, with motor vehicle and parts dealers, building material and garden centers, gas stations, sporting goods stores, and miscellaneous outlets all seeing gains eclipsing 1%. —Jeff Cox, CNBC, 14 Jan. 2026

If any of your miscellaneous items have coins or small objects that fall into vents or wet items that lead to rust can cause electrical issues overtime. —Ashlyn Needham, Southern Living, 12 Jan. 2026

Individual utensils and miscellaneous items, like can openers, cheese graters, and kitchen scissors, can also be found around the utensils. —Kylie Petty, Better Homes & Gardens, 10 Jan. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Latin miscellāneus "combining various elements, mixed" (from miscellus "of mixed type, hybrid, assorted" —of uncertain origin— + -āneus, adjective suffix, probably after collēctāneus "assembled from various sources") + -ous

Note: The word miscellus first occurs in the De agri cultura of Cato the Elder, as a modifier of ūva "bunch of grapes" and vītis "vine" to denote an inferior grape variety. On formal grounds it could be a diminutive of *misculus, the presumed base of a Vulgar Latin verb *misculāre "to mix" (see meddle); *misculus would be a noun, perhaps meaning "mixture," irregularly derived from the base of the verb miscēre "to mix" (see mix entry 1). Alternatively, miscellus could hypothetically be the outcome of *minuscellus, a diminutive of minusculus "rather small" (see minuscule entry 1), with loss of the pretonic syllable by syncope and subsequent loss of the nasal consonant. A phonetic parallel would be the development of Late Latin mīsterium from ministerium (see mystery entry 2). The meaning "very small," hence "insignificant," would better fit Cato's inferior grape variety than "mixed," as a mixture of grapes does not seem to come into question. The later sense "of mixed type" would be the result of association of miscellus with miscēre. (See M. Leumann, "Lateinische Etymologien und Bedeutungen," Glotta, 11. Band [1921], pp. 190-92.) For more on the suffix -āneus see the etymology and note at spontaneous.

First Known Use

1637, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for miscellaneous

• percutaneous
• simultaneous
• subcutaneous
• subterraneous
• transcutaneous
• contemporaneous
• extemporaneous
• intracutaneous
• mucocutaneous
• extraneous
• spontaneous
• lanius

Kids Definition

miscellaneous

adjective

mis·​cel·​la·​neous ˌmis-ə-ˈlā-ne-əs 

-nyəs

: consisting of many things of different sorts

miscellaneously adverb

miscellaneousness noun