various

[ vair-ee-uhs ]

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.

pronoun

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

   I spoke with various of them.

various

/ ˈvɛərɪəs /

determiner

1. 1. several different

      he is an authority on various subjects

   2. ( as pronoun; followed by of )

      various of them came

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

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

Derived Forms

• ˈvariousness, noun
• ˈvariously, adverb

Other Words From

• vari·ous·ly adverb
• vari·ous·ness noun
• non·vari·ous adjective
• non·vari·ous·ly adverb
• non·vari·ous·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of various¹

First recorded in 1545–55; from Latin varius “speckled, variegated,” hence “manifold, diverse”; -ous

Word History and Origins

Origin of various¹

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

Example Sentences

Her deeply skeptical views of most U.S. foreign policy, including support for Ukraine, sympathy for dictators like Vladimir Putin and Bashar al-Assad in Syria and embrace of various conspiracy theories has earned her many critics who say that she would not pass muster in a Senate confirmation process.

From Salon

Ramaswamy and Musk’s bid for “maximum transparency” will also likely include straight-up lying about what various government offices do.

From Slate

A judge in Texas ordered the auction in September, and various groups – both Jones’s allies and detractors – had suggested they would bid for the company.

From BBC

Some of us, through our news organizations, had to foot the bill for private security at various Trump rallies.

From Salon

Following the Coltart report, Smyth faced deportation from Zimbabwe but Graystone says he used his significant connections to avoid this, lobbying various cabinet ministers - some of whose sons had attended his camps - with suggestions that even then-President Robert Mugabe was approached by one of Smyth’s associates.

From BBC

Related Words

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