various

American  

[vair-ee-uhs] / ˈvɛər i əs /

adjective

1. of different kinds, as two or more things; differing one from another.

   Various experiments have not proved his theory.

   Antonyms:

   similar , uniform , same , identical

2. marked by or exhibiting variety or diversity.

   houses of various designs.

   Synonyms:

   sundry

3. presenting or having many different qualities or aspects.

   a woman of various talent.

   Synonyms:

   divers , varied , variegated , diversified

4. having a variety of colors; varicolored.

5. different from each other; dissimilar.

6. variant.

7. numerous; many.

   living at various hotels.

8. individual (in a group, class, kind, etc.); separate.

   permission from various officials in Washington.

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pronoun

1. Informal.  several, many, or numerous ones.

   I spoke with various of them.

various British  

/ ˈvɛərɪəs /

determiner

1. 1. several different

      he is an authority on various subjects

   2. not_standard  ( as pronoun; followed by of )

      various of them came

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adjective

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

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

Other kinds of companies that borrow a lot, such as utilities, are also having to invest to feed the chips’ various energy needs.

From The Wall Street Journal

Some posed with their own planes, others at various terminals or, occasionally, in flight-inspired styles, including hats shaped like planes.

From Los Angeles Times

Her performance was part of a three-day music festival in Shanghai, for which subsequent events were also called off after "comprehensively taking into consideration various factors", according to Japan's Kyodo News.

From BBC

Orano officially retains a 60 percent stake in the subsidiaries, and has undertaken various arbitration procedures to try to win back operational control.

From Barron's

So until the finer points of all the various contracts are signed and sealed, O'Neill will keep taking the team.

From BBC

Related Words

• assorted
• different
• discrete
• disparate
• distinct
• diverse
• diversified
• individual
• numerous
• separate
• sundry
• varied