multifarious

[ muhl-tuh-fair-ee-uh s ]

/ ˌmʌl təˈfɛər i əs /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR multifarious ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

having many different parts, elements, forms, etc.

numerous and varied; greatly diverse or manifold: multifarious activities.

Nearby words

Origin of multifarious

1585–95; < Late Latin multifārius many-sided, manifold, equivalent to Latin multifāri(am) on many sides + -us adj. suffix (see -ous); see multi-, bifarious

Related formsmul·ti·far·i·ous·ly, adverbmul·ti·far·i·ous·ness, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for multifarious

Now that we have gotten over these multifarious horribles, we are obliged to ponder the bigger picture.
Gay Marriage Vs. the First Amendment|James Poulos|August 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In many great novels, the multifarious content necessitates a certain largesse of form.
C.E. Morgan: ‘Light in August’ is Faulkner’s Great American Novel|C.E. Morgan|August 16, 2012|DAILY BEAST
This book intimately and expertly covers his multifarious activities during each of these great crises.
Inside Kissinger's Brain|Andrew Roberts|June 15, 2009|DAILY BEAST
The idea of living a multifarious identity is something that has always occurred to me to be absolutely the norm.
Hollywood's Exquisite Alien|Amanda Fortini|April 30, 2009|DAILY BEAST

In the Laws of Menu are multifarious directions concerning the day of the moon fit or unfit for particular actions.
Nala and Damayanti and Other Poems|Henry Hart Milman
His multifarious duties demanded his attention, and when he returned to the hut Yellow Steve was dead.
Brother Against Brother|John Roy Musick
It was some days after this before all the multifarious contents of the chest were ready, and then came the parting day.
My First Voyage to Southern Seas|W.H.G. Kingston
Let us now come to the extrinsic evidence, to determine the genuineness or spuriousness of these multifarious writings.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 69, No. 427, May, 1851|Various
By multifarious subtle workings, these class laws inevitably had a double effect.
History of the Great American Fortunes, Vol. I|Myers Gustavus

British Dictionary definitions for multifarious

multifarious

/ (ˌmʌltɪˈfɛərɪəs) /

adjective

having many parts of great variety

Derived Formsmultifariously, adverbmultifariousness, noun

Word Origin for multifarious

C16: from Late Latin multifārius manifold, from Latin multifāriam on many sides

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for multifarious

multifarious

adj.

1590s, from Latin multifarius "manifold," from multifariam (adv.) "on many sides; in many places or parts," perhaps originally "that which can be expressed in many ways," from multi- "many" (see multi-) + -fariam, adverbial suffix (cf. bifariam "in two places"), from PIE *dwi-dhe- "making two." Related: Multifariously; multifariousness. Earlier forms of the word in English were multiphary (adv.); multipharie (adj.), both mid-15c.

multifarious

adjective

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of multifarious

Examples from the Web for multifarious

multifarious

adjective

Word Origin for multifarious

multifarious