various

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var·i·ous

(vâr′ē-əs, văr′-)

adj.

a. Of diverse kinds: unable to go for various reasons.

b. Unlike; different: flowers as various as the rose, the daisy, and the iris.

2. Being more than one; several: She spoke to various members of the club.

3. Varied in nature or character; not uniform: "The war with Scotland ... was conducted feebly, and with various success" (David Hume).

pron. (used with a pl. verb) Usage Problem

Several different people or things.

[From Latin varius.]

var′i·ous·ly adv.

var′i·ous·ness n.

Usage Note: The quantifier various normally modifies a noun directly (as in various members), but at least since the early twentieth century it has also sometimes been used before prepositional phrases starting with of; George Orwell's influential 1946 essay "Politics and the English Language," for instance, refers to "various of the mental vices from which we now suffer." When we first balloted the various of construction in 1967, 91 percent of the Usage Panel found it unacceptable. As recently as 1999, 87 percent disapproved of the sentence Various of the committee members spoke out against the measure. By 2013, the disapproval rate for this same sentence had dipped to 76 percent, with an even lower disapproval rate (46 percent) for a sentence that included the phrase ownership of the lake and various of its tributaries. Linguistically, the various of construction appears defensible, being analogous to similar constructions based on the quantifiers few, many, and several. Besides, one might argue that the lake and various of its tributaries has a slightly different meaning from the lake and various tributaries of it; the former makes the scope of the larger set (the lake's tributaries) seem more definite, while the latter implies that its scope is indeterminate, unknown, or unimportant. But given that the use of various as a direct modifier is completely standard whereas the various of construction is still controversial, it may be advisable to avoid various of except when you want to give emphasis to the specific larger set that the "various" things are part of.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

various

(ˈvɛərɪəs)

determiner

a. several different: he is an authority on various subjects.

b. not standard (as pronoun; followed by of): various of them came.

adj

1. of different kinds, though often within the same general category; diverse: various occurrences; his disguises are many and various.

2. (prenominal) relating to a collection of separate persons or things: the various members of the club.

3. displaying variety; many-sided: his various achievements are most impressive.

4. poetic variegated

5. obsolete inconstant

[C16: from Latin varius changing; perhaps related to Latin vārus crooked]

ˈvariously adv

ˈvariousness n

Usage: The use of different after various should be avoided: the disease exists in various forms (not in various different forms)

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

var•i•ous

(ˈvɛər i əs)

adj.

1. of different kinds, as two or more things: various cheeses for sale.

2. exhibiting diversity: houses of various designs.

3. different from each other; dissimilar.

4. several; many: stayed at various hotels.

5. individual; separate: We spoke to the various officials.

6. having many different qualities: a woman of various talent.

7. having a variety of colors.

[1545–55; < Latin varius variegated, varied; see -ous]

var′i•ous•ly, adv.

var′i•ous•ness, n.

syn: various, diverse, different, distinct describe things that are not identical. various stresses the multiplicity and variety of sorts or instances of a thing or class of things: various kinds of seaweed. diverse suggests an even wider variety or disparity: diverse opinions. different points to a separate identity, or a dissimilarity in quality or character: two different versions of the same story. distinct implies a uniqueness and lack of connection between things that may possibly be alike: plans similar in objective but distinct in method.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Switch to new thesaurus

Adj.	1.	various - of many different kinds purposefully arranged but lacking any uniformity; "assorted sizes"; "his disguises are many and various"; "various experiments have failed to disprove the theory"; "cited various reasons for his behavior" assorted different - unlike in nature or quality or form or degree; "took different approaches to the problem"; "came to a different conclusion"; "different parts of the country"; "on different sides of the issue"; "this meeting was different from the earlier one"
	2.	various - considered individually; "the respective club members"; "specialists in their several fields"; "the various reports all agreed" respective, several individual, single - being or characteristic of a single thing or person; "individual drops of rain"; "please mark the individual pages"; "they went their individual ways"
	3.	various - distinctly dissimilar or unlike; "celebrities as diverse as Bob Hope and Bob Dylan"; "animals as various as the jaguar and the cavy and the sloth" diverse different - unlike in nature or quality or form or degree; "took different approaches to the problem"; "came to a different conclusion"; "different parts of the country"; "on different sides of the issue"; "this meeting was different from the earlier one"
	4.	various - having great diversity or variety; "his various achievements are impressive"; "his vast and versatile erudition" versatile varied - characterized by variety; "immigrants' varied ethnic and religious traditions"; "his work is interesting and varied"

various

adjective

1. different, assorted, miscellaneous, varied, differing, distinct, diverse, divers (archaic), diversified, disparate, sundry, heterogeneous He plans to spread his capital between various bank accounts.
different same, similar, alike, matching, equivalent, uniform

2. many, numerous, countless, several, abundant, innumerable, sundry, manifold, profuse The methods employed are many and various.

Usage: The use of different after various, which seems to be most common in speech, is unnecessary and should be avoided in serious writing: the disease exists in various forms (not in various different forms).

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

various

adjective

1. Consisting of a number of different kinds:

assorted, divers, diverse, diversified, heterogeneous, miscellaneous, mixed, motley, multifarious, multiform, sundry, varied, variegated.

Biology: polymorphic, polymorphous.

2. Not like another in nature, quality, amount, or form:

different, disparate, dissimilar, divergent, diverse, unlike, variant.

3. Consisting of a number more than two or three but less than many:

divers, several, some, sundry.

4. Having many aspects, uses, or abilities:

all-around, all-round, many-sided, multifaceted, protean, versatile.

5. Distinguished from others by nature or qualities:

discrete, distinct, separate, several.

6. Archaic. Capable of or liable to change:

alterable, changeable, fluid, inconstant, mutable, uncertain, unsettled, unstable, unsteady, variable, variant.

Translations

عِدَّهمُتَنَوِّع، مُخْتَلِف الأشْكالمُخْتَلِف

různýmnohý

forskelligforskellige

verschieden verschiedenartig

διάφοροι διάφορος

varios diverso vario diferente

usea

divers plusieurs varié différent différents

razni

különbözőkülönféle

mismunandi, margvíslegurÿmsir

vario differente diverso

さまざまな

다양한

įvairūsskirtingi

atšķirīgsdažādsvairāki

uiteenlopend verscheiden verscheidene

forskjellige mange forskjellige ulike ymse

różny

vários

разный разнообразный

mnohý

različen

olika

ต่างชนิด

çeşitli değişik bazı birkaç

khác nhau

不同的各种各样的许多的

various

[ˈvɛərɪəs] ADJ (gen) → varios, diversos; (= different) → distintos
for various reasons → por diversas razones
in various ways → de diversos modos
at various times → a distintas horas
on various occasions in the past → en varias ocasiones antes

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

various

[ˈvɛəriəs] adj

(= several) → divers before n, plusieurs
Various people called round while you were out → Plusieurs personnes sont passées pendant que vous n'étiez pas là.
We visited various villages in the area → Nous avons visité plusieurs villages de la région., Nous avons visité divers villages de la région.
There were various questions he wanted to ask → Il avait diverses questions à poser., Il avait plusieurs questions à poser.
at various times → à diverses reprises

(= varied) → varié(e)
many and various → divers(e) et varié(e)
The methods are many and various → Les méthodes sont diverses et variées.
at various times (= different) → à divers moments
at various times of the year → à divers moments de l'année

various

adj

(= different) → verschieden; his excuses are many and various → seine Entschuldigungen sind zahlreich und vielfältig

(= several) → mehrere, verschiedene

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

various

[ˈvɛərɪəs] adj (several) → diverso/a, vario/a; (different) → diverso/a, differente
at various times (different) → in momenti diversi or differenti
various times (several) → diverse or varie volte
we went our various ways home → ognuno è tornato a casa per la sua strada

various

(ˈveəriəs) adjective

1. different; varied. His reasons for leaving were many and various.

2. several. Various people have told me about you.

ˈvariously adverb

various

→ مُخْتَلِف různý forskellige verschieden διάφοροι varios usea divers razni vario さまざまな 다양한 verscheidene ulike różny vários разнообразный olika ต่างชนิด çeşitli khác nhau 不同的

References in classic literature ?

It was of lesser height than that on which the Castle was situated; but it was so placed that it commanded the various hills that crowned the ridge.

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I propose to treat of Poetry in itself and of its various kinds, noting the essential quality of each; to inquire into the structure of the plot as requisite to a good poem; into the number and nature of the parts of which a poem is composed; and similarly into whatever else falls within the same inquiry.

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Equally natural it is that they should have particularly selected various phases of the tale of Troy which preceded or followed the action of the "Iliad" or "Odyssey".

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The average life expectancy of a Martian after the age of maturity is about three hundred years, but would be nearer the one-thousand mark were it not for the various means leading to violent death.

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To finish the whole, she selects from among her blankets of various dyes one of some glowing color, and throwing it over her shoulders with a native grace, vaults into the saddle of her gay, prancing steed, and is ready to follow her mountaineer 'to the last gasp with love and loyalty.' "

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The sides of his overcoat bulged out with pocket editions of various poets.

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These various matters were at once placed before me; but Kory-Kory deemed the banquet entirely insufficient for my wants until he had supplied me with one of the leafy packages of pork, which, notwithstanding the somewhat hasty manner in which it had been prepared, possessed a most excellent flavour, and was surprisingly sweet and tender.

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During the fifteen years of his literary life Poe was connected with various newspapers and magazines in Richmond, Philadelphia and New York.

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Also, I can apply the logic of events to the various happenings.

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This is the highly entertaining 'Voyage and Travels of Sir John Mandeville.' This clever book was actually written at Liege, in what is now Belgium, sometime before the year 1370, and in the French language; from which, attaining enormous popularity, it was several times translated into Latin and English, and later into various other languages.

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A strange multiplicity of sensations seized me, and I saw, felt, heard, and smelt at the same time; and it was, indeed, a long time before I learned to distinguish between the operations of my various senses.

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Assembling and dispersing with equal suddenness, it is as difficult to follow to its various sources as the sea itself; nor does the parallel stop here, for the ocean is not more fickle and uncertain, more terrible when roused, more unreasonable, or more cruel.

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