several

[ sev-er-uhl, sev-ruhl ]
See synonyms for several on Thesaurus.com
adjective
  1. being more than two but fewer than many in number or kind: several ways of doing it.

  2. respective; individual: They went their several ways.

  1. separate; different: several occasions.

  2. Archaic. single; particular: an examination of each several case.

  3. Law. binding two or more persons who may be sued separately on a common obligation.

pronoun(used with a plural verb)
  1. several persons or things: He's written ten novels, and several have sold very well.Several of my friends are divorced.

Origin of several

1
First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Medieval Latin sēparālis, equivalent to Latin sēpar “separate” + -ālis -al1

Words that may be confused with several

Words Nearby several

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use several in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for several

several

/ (ˈsɛvrəl) /


determiner
    • more than a few; an indefinite small number: several people objected

    • (as pronoun; functioning as plural): several of them know

adjective
  1. (prenominal) various; separate: the members with their several occupations

  2. (prenominal) distinct; different: three several times

  1. law capable of being dealt with separately; not shared: Compare joint (def. 15)

Origin of several

1
C15: via Anglo-French from Medieval Latin sēparālis, from Latin sēpār, from sēparāre to separate

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