various
Americanadjective
-
of different kinds, as two or more things; differing one from another.
Various experiments have not proved his theory.
-
marked by or exhibiting variety or diversity.
houses of various designs.
- Synonyms:
- sundry
-
presenting or having many different qualities or aspects.
a woman of various talent.
- Synonyms:
- divers, varied, variegated, diversified
-
having a variety of colors; varicolored.
-
different from each other; dissimilar.
-
living at various hotels.
-
individual (in a group, class, kind, etc.); separate.
permission from various officials in Washington.
pronoun
determiner
adjective
-
of different kinds, though often within the same general category; diverse
various occurrences
his disguises are many and various
-
(prenominal) relating to a collection of separate persons or things
the various members of the club
-
displaying variety; many-sided
his various achievements are most impressive
-
poetic variegated
-
obsolete inconstant
Usage
What are other ways to say various? Various means “of different kinds” or “differing one from another.” How does various compare to different, distinct, and diverse? Find out on Thesaurus.com.
Other Word Forms
- nonvarious adjective
- nonvariously adverb
- nonvariousness noun
- variously adverb
- variousness noun
Etymology
Origin of various
First recorded in 1545–55; from Latin varius “speckled, variegated,” hence “manifold, diverse”; -ous
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.
She says they have been experimenting with various types of music of late, but "this confidence and feeling good is definitely a theme".
From BBC • Apr. 8, 2026
For decades, the Baxter Road owners proposed various defenses to delay the inevitable, from a rock wall to dumping dredged sand, a plan rejected by fishermen.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 8, 2026
Unlike other luxury brands that have toyed with new logos and typefaces in the last decade, the LV monogram has carried down through the various changes in leadership at Vuitton.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 8, 2026
The goal of Project Glasswing is to bring various technology leaders together and put AI capabilities “to work for defensive purposes,” Anthropic said.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 7, 2026
When Molly arrived, a sizable crowd had already gathered outside, trailing up the front steps in various interpretations of the midcentury dress code.
From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny
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.
