various

(vâr'ē-əs, văr'-)
adj.

1. 1. Of diverse kinds: for various reasons.
   2. Unlike; different.
2. Being more than one; several.
3. Many-sided; versatile: a person of various skills.
4. Having a variegated nature or appearance.
5. Being an individual or separate member of a class or group: The various reports all agreed.
6. Archaic. Changeable; variable.

pron. Usage Problem (used with a pl. verb)
Several different people or things.

[From Latin varius.]

variously var'i·ous·ly adv.
variousness var'i·ous·ness n.

USAGE NOTE   The use of various as a pronoun, as in various of the committee members spoke out against the measure, is widely regarded as an error. Eighty-six percent of the Usage Panel finds this sentence unacceptable, a figure not much different from the 91 percent who rejected the various of construction in 1967. The Panel is somewhat more tolerant of the construction when it is used with inanimate objects rather than people. Seventy percent objected to its use in the phrase ownership of the lake and various of its tributaries and effluents. It is not clear why this usage should be regarded as an error, since it is analogous to the use of quantifiers such as few, many, and several.

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like many and several, is used as a pronoun (followed by of) in both British English and (more commonly) in American English:

Various of his colleagues...offer to go with him if he is dismissed—American Spectator, 1994

Various of his essays and lectures have been published—Margaret Drabble, 2000.

Although disapproved of by some language purists, this usage is well established.

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adjective

1. Consisting of a number of different kinds: assorted, divers, diverse, diversified, heterogeneous, miscellaneous, mixed, motley, multifarious, multiform, sundry, varied, variegated. Biology polymorphic, polymorphous. See same/different/compare.
2. Not like another in nature, quality, amount, or form: different, disparate, dissimilar, divergent, diverse, unlike, variant. See same/different/compare.
3. Consisting of a number more than two or three but less than many: divers, several, some, sundry. See big/small/amount.
4. Having many aspects, uses, or abilities: all-around, all-round, many-sided, multifaceted, protean, versatile. See ability/inability, same/different/compare.
5. Distinguished from others by nature or qualities: discrete, distinct, separate, several. See same/different/compare.
6. Capable of or liable to change: alterable, changeable, fluid, inconstant, mutable, uncertain, unsettled, unstable, unsteady, variable, variant. See change/persist.

adj

Definition: miscellaneous, differing
Antonyms: individual, same, similar, uniform

IN BRIEF: Several different kinds. Also: Many.

It is a good idea to try various flavors before you choose one for the whole cake.

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sign description: The sign MANY is repeated.

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For a list of words related to variously, see:

• Reflections and References

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See words rhyming with "various."

  See crossword solutions for the clue Various.

Dansk (Danish)
adj. - varierende, forskellige, adskillige, afvekslende, forskelligartet
det. - forskellige
pron. - flere, adskillige

Nederlands (Dutch)
verscheidene, diverse, met verschillende kleuren/patronen

Français (French)
adj. - différents, divers, variable (arch)
det. - différents, divers
pron. - plusieurs, beaucoup/de nombreux (parmi)

Deutsch (German)
pron. - verschiedene
adj. - verschiedene, vielfältig, verschieden
det. - verschieden

Ελληνική (Greek)
pron. - πολλοί και διάφοροι
adj. - διάφορος, ποικίλος, πολλοί και διάφοροι

Italiano (Italian)
diversi, parecchi, vari, vario

Português (Portuguese)
pron. - vários
adj. - diverso, variado, versátil, numeroso

Русский (Russian)
различный, разносторонний, пестрый, каждый в отдельности

Español (Spanish)
adj. - diverso, diferente, vario
det. - diversos, varios, variado, numerosos
pron. - varios, algunos

Svenska (Swedish)
pron. - olika, diverse, växlande
adj. - olika diverse

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
不同的, 多方面的, 各种的, 各位, 各个

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
adj. - 不同的, 多方面的, 各種的
det. - 不同的, 多方面的, 各種的
pron. - 各位, 各個

한국어 (Korean)
adj. - 서로 다른, 여러 방면의, 많은
det. - 하나 이상의, 각각의
pron. - 몇 사람, 몇 가지, 다수

日本語 (Japanese)
adj. - 種々の, 多方面の, 幾つかの, それぞれの, 数人, 多数, 様々な, たくさんの

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(صفه) متعدد, مختلف, متنوع, شتى, بضع, عدد ( قليل)‏

עברית (Hebrew)
adj. - ‮שונה, שונים, מגוונים, אחדים, מספר, כמה‬
det. - ‮אחדים, מספר, כמה‬
pron. - ‮אחדים, מספר, כמה, רבים‬

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