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. not_standard,  ( 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 )

Other Word Forms

• variousness noun
• variously adverb
• nonvarious adjective
• nonvariously adverb
• nonvariousness 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

It put an estimated cost of £18bn a year on its various proposed tax cuts on businesses.

From BBC

The Unite trade union said drivers working for various operators under the publicly controlled Bee Network have rejected pay offers ranging between 3.5 and 6% following months of negotiations.

From BBC

Arson, unsupervised kids and various agriculture, construction and landscaping equipment have been responsible for the lion’s share; however, even those are much more common along roadways and near developments, where BurnBot hopes to operate.

From Los Angeles Times

The measure will take some time to draft and be heard by various committees but could come up for a vote before the full council in a matter of months, Blumenfield said.

From Los Angeles Times

The company focuses on innovating and creating various medicines to help treat cancer, heart disease, osteoporosis, inflammatory diseases and other rare diseases.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

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

When To Use

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.