vary

[ vair-ee ]

verb (used with object)

, var·ied, var·y·ing.

1. to change or alter, as in form, appearance, character, or substance:

   to vary one's methods.

   Synonyms: mutate, modify

2. to cause to be different from something else:

   The orchestra varied last night's program with one new selection.

3. to avoid or relieve from uniformity or monotony; diversify:

   to vary one's diet.

4. Music. to alter (a melody or theme) by modification or embellishments without changing its identity.

verb (used without object)

, var·ied, var·y·ing.

1. to show diversity; be different:

   The age at which children are ready to read varies.

2. to undergo change in appearance, form, substance, character, etc.:

   The landscape begins to vary as one drives south.

3. to change periodically or in succession; differ or alternate:

   Demand for certain products varies with the season.

4. to diverge; depart; deviate (usually followed by from ):

   to vary from the norm.

5. Mathematics. to be subject to change.
6. Biology. to exhibit variation.

vary

/ ˈvɛərɪ /

verb

1. to undergo or cause to undergo change, alteration, or modification in appearance, character, form, attribute, etc
2. to be different or cause to be different; be subject to change
3. tr to give variety to
4. intrfoll byfrom to differ, as from a convention, standard, etc
5. intr to change in accordance with another variable

   pressure varies directly with temperature and inversely with volume

   her mood varies with the weather

6. tr music to modify (a theme) by the use of variation

Derived Forms

• ˈvarying, adjective
• ˈvaryingly, adverb

Other Words From

• var·i·er noun
• var·y·ing·ly adverb
• in·ter·var·y verb (used without object) intervaried intervarying
• o·ver·var·y verb overvaried overvarying
• self-var·y·ing adjective
• un·var·y·ing adjective
• un·var·y·ing·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of vary¹

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English varien, from Latin variāre, equivalent to vari(us) ( various ) + -āre infinitive suffix

Word History and Origins

Origin of vary¹

C14: from Latin variāre, from varius various

Example Sentences

“I felt his music was complex, beautiful, harmonically and textually varied,” says Coppola, “and interesting.”

From Los Angeles Times

While she was a casual viewer of “Beverly Hills,” and she knew, to varying degrees, members of its cast, she hadn’t ever considered being a part of it.

From Los Angeles Times

The international research team established 52 tree islands of varying sizes and diversity of planted trees in a conventional industrial oil palm plantation in Sumatra, Indonesia.

From Science Daily

Alcohol consumption varies significantly by region worldwide and in the U.S.

From Science Daily

The sauce or dressing varieties are just as varied as ketchup, sweet mustard, spicy mustard, garlic and, the most popular, French dressing.

From Salon

Related Words

• alter
• differ
• diverge
• diversify
• divide
• fluctuate
• modify
• range