variety

noun

(countable) A collection or number of different things.

(uncountable) The quality of being varied; diversity.

(countable) A specific variation of something.

(countable) A deviation or difference.

(countable) (biology, loosely) An animal or plant (or a group of such animals or plants) with characteristics causing it to differ from other animals or plants of the same species; a strain or cultivar.

(countable) (botany, taxonomy) A rank in a taxonomic classification below species and (if present) subspecies, and above form; hence, an organism of that rank.

(countable) (linguistics) A specific form of a language, neutral to whether that form is an accent, dialect, register, etc., and to its prestige level; an isolect or lect.

(countable) (philately) A stamp, or set of stamps, which has one or more characteristics (such as colour, paper, etc.) differing from other stamps in the same issue, especially if such differences are intentionally introduced.

(uncountable) (radio, television, theater) The kind of entertainment given in variety performances or shows; also, the production of, or performance in, variety performances or shows.

(countable) (cybernetics) The total number of distinct states of a system; also, the logarithm to the base 2 of the total number of distinct states of a system.

(countable) (algebra) In universal algebra: an equational class; the class of all algebraic structures of a given signature, satisfying a given set of identities.

(countable) (radio, television, theater) Ellipsis of variety performance or variety show (“a type of entertainment featuring a succession of short, unrelated performances by various artistes such as (depending on the medium) acrobats, comedians, dancers, magicians, singers, etc.”).

(countable) (algebra) (algebraic geometry) Ellipsis of algebraic variety (“the set of solutions of a given system of polynomial equations over the real or complex numbers; any of certain generalisations of such a set that preserves the geometric intuition implicit in the original definition”). [(algebraic geometry) The set of solutions of a given system of polynomial equations over the real or complex numbers; any of certain generalisations of such a set that preserves the geometric intuition implicit in the original definition.]

Roots

variusvari- · Latin · changing, diverse

Synonyms for variety

assortmentn multifariousnessn diversityn miscellanean miscellanyn multiformityn manifoldnessn numerousnessn multiplicityn severaladj

Synonyms & related words for variety

Find synonyms, related words, and the definition of variety — including assortment, multifariousness, diversity, miscellanea, miscellany, multiformity. Dendril is a free visual thesaurus that shows them on an interactive map where stronger matches sit closer to the center — no signup, no ads.

Words related to variety

Explore words related to variety — words associated with it, words that go with it, and its nearest matches in meaning. Related words include keitloa, diverseness, omnifarious, varied, variform, diverse, various, assorted. Click any word to make it the center of the map and keep exploring the web of connections.

Synonyms for variety

Common synonyms for variety include assortment, multifariousness, diversity, miscellanea, miscellany, multiformity, manifoldness, numerousness — words that share a close meaning. Hover or tap any word on the map for its definition and part of speech.

Where does variety come from?

The word variety breaks down into one root of Latin origin: the root vari-, from Latin varius (“changing, diverse”). Explore each root to see other English words built from the same source.