ENGLISH
REFERENCE

various

adj.
B1 Intermediate Oxford US //ˈvɛɹiəs// UK //vˈeəɹɪəs// var·i·ous Archaic General-service

adj. many different types of something. You use this to describe a group of things that are not all the same.

adj. consisting of several different types; diverse or manifold. Typically used to describe a collection of distinct items rather than a single changing entity.


SIMPLE

The shop sells various kinds of fruit.

CONTEXTUAL

The manager discussed various options for the new office layout during the morning meeting.

COMPLEX

Although the core theory remains the same, various researchers have proposed slight modifications to account for the anomalies observed in recent field studies.

Synonyms
Origin

Borrowed from Middle French varieux, from Latin varius (“manifold, diverse, various, parti-colored, variegated, also changing, changeable, fickle, etc.”). By surface analysis, vary + -ous.

Usage

Always precedes the noun it modifies; typically used with plural nouns.

Pitfall

various of reasonsvarious reasonsVarious is an adjective, not a pronoun; it should modify the noun directly without 'of'.

© 2026 English Reference