omnifarious
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
- omnifariously adverb
- omnifariousness noun
Etymology
Origin of omnifarious
First recorded in 1645–55; from Late Latin omnifārius (derivative of Latin adverb omnifāriam “on all sides”), equivalent to Latin prefix omni- + -fārius adjective suffix formed from the adverb bifāriam; see origin at omni-, bifarious
Explanation
If you belong to every possible club and organization at school, you can describe your extracurricular activities as omnifarious, or as including all different varieties. This handy adjective means "of all kinds or varieties." You might recognize the Latin prefix omni- from other words that have the notion of "all" or "every." The -farious part, Latin for "part or parts," is the same one you see in multifarious, an adjective that is more common than omnifarious and has roughly the same meaning.
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.
In the U.S., at least, television could never become an omnifarious Big Brother by 1984.
From Time Magazine Archive
Through a glass partition one saw the shining kitchen with its large modern range, its rows and rows of the most expensive utensils—all donations by the omnifarious army of Mlle.
From The Living Present by Atherton, Gertrude Franklin Horn
Of his controversies, those against Popery are the most powerful, because there he had subtleties and obscure reading to contend against; and his wit, acuteness, and omnifarious learning found stuff to work on.
From The Literary Remains of Samuel Taylor Coleridge by Coleridge, Henry Nelson
His conversation was such as might have been expected from a man whose fancy was so creative, whose knowledge omnifarious, and whose recollection so unbounded.
From Reminiscences of Samuel Taylor Coleridge and Robert Southey by Cottle, Joseph
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.
