Idiom
contain multitudes
Meaning
To have a complex and apparently paradoxical nature; to be inconsistent, especially in a way that is ultimately admirable or noble.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Examples
“People are complex and often contain multitudes.”
“You might think he is only a quiet accountant, but he contains multitudes, including a secret life as a jazz musician.”
“The protagonist is a fascinating character who contains multitudes, shifting between deep cruelty and unexpected acts of kindness throughout the novel.”
Examples
simple
“People are complex and often contain multitudes.”
contextual
“You might think he is only a quiet accountant, but he contains multitudes, including a secret life as a jazz musician.”
complex
“The protagonist is a fascinating character who contains multitudes, shifting between deep cruelty and unexpected acts of kindness throughout the novel.”
Origin
Coined by the American poet Walt Whitman (1819–1892) in his poem “Song of Myself” published in Leaves of Grass (1855): see the quotation.
Key words
- Updated