multifarious

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

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.

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

Related Words for multifarious

assorted, manifold, many, miscellaneous, multiple, multitudinous, myriad, numerous, varied, various, divers, diversified

Examples from the Web for multifarious

Contemporary Examples of 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
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
This book intimately and expertly covers his multifarious activities during each of these great crises.
Inside Kissinger's Brain
Andrew Roberts
June 15, 2009
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

Historical Examples of multifarious

There were politics, with their multifarious opportunities for fortune and place.
The Law-Breakers
Ridgwell Cullum
The shapes are so multifarious, as to preclude us from giving any specific directions.
The Ladies' Work-Table Book
Anonymous
His singular brain could grapple simultaneously with these multifarious subjects.
A Great Man
Arnold Bennett
She was a trim yacht, notwithstanding her multifarious employments.
The Three Commanders
W.H.G. Kingston
He has the merit of giving some order to this multifarious collection.
Curiosities of Literature, Vol. 1 (of 3)
Isaac D'Israeli

British Dictionary definitions for multifarious

multifarious

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

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.