sundry
Americanadjective
idioms
determiner
pronoun
noun
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(plural) miscellaneous unspecified items
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also called: extra. cricket a run not scored from the bat, such as a wide, no-ball, bye, or leg bye
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of sundry
before 900; Middle English; Old English syndrig private, separate, equivalent to syndr- (mutated form of sundor asunder ) + -ig -y 1; akin to sunder
Explanation
A teenager emptying out his backpack at the end of the school year might find sundry items at the bottom, meaning that the backpack was filled with a random collection of unrelated things — an old stick of gum, a broken pair of sunglasses, crumpled pieces of paper, and so forth. Most people associate the word sundry with the old-fashioned drugstore in their neighborhood that used to sell all sorts of odds and ends, from magazines to hairbrushes. The word is typically used as an adjective to describe a collection of various different items found in one place, as in — "I discovered records, perfume bottles, and sundry items at my neighbor's yard sale." The phrase "all and sundry" refers collectively to a group of people, as in, "I invited all and sundry of my relatives to my tea party."
Vocabulary lists containing sundry
"Macbeth" Vocabulary from Act IV
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"Of Plymouth Plantation," Vocabulary from the historical account
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Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857)
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The septuagenarian governor has managed to survive sundry political scandals, Mexican observers say, because of a key fact: His longtime friendship with ex-President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, the predecessor and mentor of President Claudia Sheinbaum.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 29, 2026
In other words, even though businesses no longer have to pay the emergency tariffs, they are still getting whacked by sundry other border taxes, including his national-security tariffs on steel, aluminum, autos, lumber and more.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 9, 2026
Philip Larkin, Oscar Wilde, Charles Dickens and sundry others have all been criticised for their personal conduct.
From BBC ● Mar. 7, 2026
Warmed by sundry houseplants and a caffeinated cloud, I was handed a plate full of intent.
From Salon ● Sep. 14, 2025
At noon, we sent word at a plantation chosen by what means I know not, requesting they should deal with us fairly and present us with corn, livestock, and other sundry provisions.
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
