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
Etymology
Origin of various
First recorded in 1545–55; from Latin varius “speckled, variegated,” hence “manifold, diverse”; see -ous
Explanation
Various describes several different kinds of things, like a candy shop that is home to various sweets, from lollipops to chocolate fudge. Various comes from the Latin word varius, meaning "changing, different, diverse." If you have various interests, you have a lot of them, and they represent a range — you might love hip hop, movies from the 1940s, fixing cars, and reading fashion magazines. Various can convey a high number, like when you say, "Various people want to get involved with the park clean-up." This means a lot of people want to help.
Vocabulary lists containing various
List 1
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"How Smart Are Animals?" Vocabulary from the science article
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List 8
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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.
The informal mechanism has persisted, in various forms, despite criticism from countries opposed to the opaque process.
From Barron's ● Aug. 21, 2026
The venture earlier this year acquired the right of way and plans for a pipeline project that has been passed between various companies in recent years.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
Player representatives "welcomed" the various announcements and noted the "substantial increase" in prize money.
From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026
This summer has seen a frenzy around Christopher Nolan’s Imax-shot “The Odyssey,” with audiences clamoring to experience it in various permutations.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 2026
FrontPoint had maybe seventy different bets on, in various stock markets around the world.
From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis
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.
