variety
Pluralvarieties
- 1A group of many different things gathered together.
Like a fruit basket holding many different fruits at once.
The store offers a wide variety of cheeses.
She brought a variety of snacks to the party.
UsageSay a variety of + a plural word: a wide variety of snacks.
Similarassortment, array, spread
Note
- 2The state of having many different things, not all the same.
Like a week where every day brings something new.
She loves the variety in her new job.
Adding variety to your meals keeps eating interesting.
UsagePeople say add variety to something, and variety is the spice of life.
Similardiversity, heterogeneity, multiformity
Oppositesameness, uniformity, consistency
Note
- 3
- 4A type of plant or animal that is a little different from others of the same species.
Like how a small dog and a big dog are both dogs but not the same kind.
This variety of tomato grows well in cool weather.
Farmers planted a new variety of rice this season.
Note
- 5Entertainment with short acts such as singing, dancing, and comedy, or a show with these acts.
Like a show that gives you a little bit of everything.
Grandpa loved variety, with its singers, dancers, and clowns.
Grandpa told jokes in a variety show at the town hall.
UsageSay in variety for this kind of show business, and a variety show for one show.
- 6A particular form of a language, such as a dialect or an accent.
Like how people from different places can speak the same language in their own way.
Each region speaks its own variety of the language.
English has many varieties spoken around the world.
Similarlect
Note
Less common meanings
- 7A difference from what is normal or from something else.
There is little variety from one loaf of bread to the next.
The handmade bowls all look alike, but there is a little variety between them.
UsageOften little variety or less variety between two things.
Similarvariation, difference, divergence, deviation, disparity
Oppositesimilarity
Note
- 8Short for algebraic variety. In math, the set of solutions to a group of polynomial equations.
- 9A stamp or group of stamps differing in color, paper, or another feature from others in the same issue.
- 10In cybernetics, the number of different states a system can be in.
- 11In algebra, the whole class of structures of one kind that satisfy the same set of equations.
Practice
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Origin
This word came from French varieté and from Latin varietās, meaning 'difference' or 'variety'. It goes back to Latin varius, meaning 'different' or 'various'.
Checked 5 Nov 2026 · 4 facts
- Variety has French varieté and Latin varietās as its sources. en.wiktionary.org
- Latin varietās means difference or variety. en.wiktionary.org
- Varietās derives from Latin varius. en.wiktionary.org
- Latin varius means different or various. en.wiktionary.org