panoply

American  

[pan-uh-plee] / ˈpæn ə pli /

noun

• panoplies
  plural

1. a wide-ranging and impressive array or display.

   the dazzling panoply of the maharaja's procession; the panoply of European history.

2. a complete suit of armor.

3. a protective covering.

4. full ceremonial attire or paraphernalia; special dress and equipment.

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panoply British  

/ ˈpænəplɪ /

noun

1. a complete or magnificent array

2. the entire equipment of a warrior

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• panoplied
  adjective
• unpanoplied
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• panoplies
  plural

Etymology

Origin of panoply

1570–80; < Greek panoplía full complement of arms and armor, equivalent to pan- pan- + ( h ) ópl ( a ) arms, armor ( cf. hoplite) + -ia -ia

Explanation

A panoply is a collection or an assortment of things. You might be eager to show off your panoply of bobble-head dolls when friends come to your house. An array or display of things is a panoply, so you can show off your panoply of spooky clown paintings, but you can also display a panoply of dance moves or talk about the panoply of flags at the parade — as long as it's a complete or impressive display, it's a true panoply. In ancient Greece, the word was used exclusively to talk about military costumes which were always suits of armor.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

panoply panoplies

The duo studied dusty LPs from Mexico and Colombia and employed a panoply of vintage keyboards to re-create the ghostly sounds of a Latin America that ceased to exist decades ago.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026

The drills have deployed a panoply of military hardware -- including tank formations and Russian-made Pantsir air-defence systems -- with over 25,000 troops, said General Omar Mrajah Al Jedid, the officer overseeing the exercises.

From Barron's ● May 17, 2026

Among the current panoply are “prediction markets,” “event contracts” and “event prediction,” perhaps to attract a tech-savvy audience.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 23, 2026

That meeting — set for Oct. 28-29 — comes at a time when the Federal Reserve has to decide on monetary policy without the full panoply of government data it would ordinarily rely on.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 27, 2025

Inside, the tables have been pushed aside, and a panoply of people sit in a loose circle.

From "It’s Kind of a Funny Story" by Ned Vizzini

For better or for worse, Turkey became a republic, a midget of a state compared to its former self; all the old panoplies of government were thrown overboard.

From Time Magazine Archive

It was shining in panoplies of smiles with the French after the attack of July 1st.

From My Second Year of the War by Frederick Palmer

In the early days the seignior's bedstead might be in the same room,—an enormous affair with panoplies of curtains and counterpanes of fur rugs and feather mattresses, so high that it almost necessitated a ladder.

From Canada: the Empire of the North Being the Romantic Story of the New Dominion's Growth from Colony to Kingdom by Agnes C. (Agnes Christina) Laut

The panoplies of helmets of the Moyen Age seemed to mope, and mow, and wink their eyeless sockets.

From The Maid of Honour, Volume 2 (of 3) A Tale of the Dark Days of France by Lewis Wingfield

Ten thousand times ten thousand now in line, In all the panoplies of gods divine; A million crowns are shining in the light, A million sceptres, robes of purest white!

From Babylonian and Assyrian Literature by Anonymous

Related Words

• array