multifarious

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for March 12, 2025 is:

multifarious • \mul-tuh-FAIR-ee-us\ • adjective

Something described as multifarious has great diversity or variety, or is made up of many and various kinds of things. Multifarious is a formal word and a synonym of diverse.

// He participated in multifarious activities throughout college.

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Examples:

"Over the course of his multifarious career, [musician Pat] Metheny has led numerous bands, more than a few of whose members later became band leaders in their own right." — George Varga, The San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Oct. 2023

Did you know?

Before the late 16th-century appearance of multifarious, English speakers used another word similar in form and meaning: multifary, meaning "in many ways," appeared—and disappeared—in the 15th century. Before either of the English words existed, there was the Medieval Latin word multifarius, from the Latin adverb multifariam, meaning "in many places." Multi-, as you may know, means "many," and is used to form, well, multifarious English words, from multicultural to multimillion. The word omnifarious ("of all varieties, forms, or kinds"), a relative of multifarious, is created with omni- ("all") rather than multi-.