myriad
Americannoun
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a very great or indefinitely great number of persons or things.
-
ten thousand.
adjective
noun
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(also used in plural) a large indefinite number
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archaic ten thousand
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of myriad
First recorded in 1545–55; from Greek mȳriad-, stem of mȳriás “ten thousand,” from mȳríos “countless”
Explanation
A myriad is a lot of something. If you’re talking about Ancient Greece, a myriad is ten thousand, but today you can use the word in myriad other ways. Myriad comes from the Greek myrioi, the word for ten thousand, or less specifically, a countless amount. Myriad can be a noun, like a myriad of choices, or an adjective, like when you study myriad subjects in college. If you lift a rock you might find a myriad of bugs. Sticklers often look down their noses at using myriad as a noun, but that usage came first.
Vocabulary lists containing myriad
Lord of the Flies
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Grade 10, List 2
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The Old Man and the Sea
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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.
As well as myriad cognitive benefits, it brings with it cultural insights and empathetic awareness.
From Science Daily • May 22, 2026
Lately, economists have credited the wealth effect with helping to keep the U.S. economy and markets resilient in the face of myriad shocks, from the latest spike in oil prices to last year’s tariff drama.
From MarketWatch • May 20, 2026
I’ve only known devastating stories in people in my life who have not either had access or have been unable to have access to the myriad of different ways that you can get help.
From Los Angeles Times • May 18, 2026
GPUs are particularly well-suited for AI computing because they can handle myriad tasks simultaneously, rather than completing them sequentially like a traditional CPU.
From Barron's • May 14, 2026
Within were three long hooded cloaks made from myriad small squares of cloth sewn together, three cudgels, three shortswords, three masks of polished brass.
From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin
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.
