What does "array" mean?
Clothing and ornamentation; raiment.
Array
/əˈɹeɪ/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Clothing and ornamentation; raiment.
- Grammar: array is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: matrix, accoutred, adduce, adorn.
- Useful contrasts: bare, disarray, disorder.
- Usage evidence: The troops were in battle array.
How to use "array"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "array" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "array" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "array" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "array" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "array" is acting as noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "matrix" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "array", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Clothing and ornamentation; raiment. countable, uncountable
"Sovay, Sovay all on a day, She dressed herself in man's array, With a sword and a pistol all by her side, To meet her true love to meet her true love away did ride."
- 2 an arrangement of aerials spaced to give desired directional characteristics wordnet
- 3 A collection laid out to be viewed in full. countable, uncountable
"The Begums' ministers, on the contrary, to extort from them the disclosure of the place which concealed the treasures, were, […] after being fettered and imprisoned, led out on to a scaffold, and this array of terrours proving unavailing, the meek tempered Middleton, as a dernier resort, menaced them with a confinement in the fortress of Chunargar. Thus, my lords, was a British garrison made the climax of cruelties!"
- 4 especially fine or decorative clothing wordnet
- 5 An orderly series, arrangement or sequence. countable, uncountable
"But the chivalry of France was represented by as gallant an array of nobles and cavaliers as ever fought under the banner of the lilies"
Show 10 more definitions
- 6 an impressive display wordnet
- 7 Order; a regular and imposing arrangement; disposition in regular lines; hence, order of battle. countable, uncountable
"drawn up in battle array"
- 8 an orderly arrangement wordnet
- 9 A large collection. countable, uncountable
"We offer a dazzling array of choices."
- 10 A matrix. countable, uncountable
- 11 Any of various data structures designed to hold multiple elements of the same type; especially, a data structure that holds these elements in adjacent memory locations so that they may be retrieved using numeric indices. countable, uncountable
- 12 A ranking or setting forth in order, by the proper officer, of a jury as impanelled in a cause; the panel itself; or the whole body of jurors summoned to attend the court. countable, uncountable
- 13 A militia. countable, uncountable
- 14 A group of hedgehogs. countable, uncountable
- 15 A microarray. countable, uncountable
Verb
- 1 To clothe and ornament; to adorn or attire.
"He was arrayed in his finest robes and jewels."
- 2 align oneself with a group or a way of thinking wordnet
- 3 To lay out in an orderly arrangement; to deploy or marshal.
"It is a noble ambition, and the forces arrayed against it are mighty."
- 4 lay out orderly or logically in a line or as if in a line wordnet
- 5 To set in order, as a jury, for the trial of a cause; that is, to call them one at a time.
"Alſo, though there be no perſonal objection againſt the ſheriff, yet if he arrays the panel at the nomination, or under the direction of either party, this is good cauſe of challenge to the array."
Antonyms
Example
"The troops were in battle array."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "array"?
Common synonyms include: matrix, accoutred, adduce, adorn, adorn, advance.
How do you use "array" in a sentence?
The troops were in battle array.
How do you pronounce "array"?
Pronounced /əˈɹeɪ/.
Etymology
From Middle English arrayen, from Anglo-Norman arraier (compare Old French arraier, areer (“to put in order”)), from Vulgar Latin *arrēdō (“to put in order, arrange, array”), from *rēdum (“preparation, order”), from Frankish *raid or *raidā (“preparation, order”) or Gothic 𐌲𐌰𐍂𐌰𐌹𐌸𐍃 (garaiþs, “ready, prepared”), from Proto-Germanic *raidaz, *raidiz (“ready”). Compare Old English rād (“condition, stipulation”), Old High German antreitī (“order, rank”). Doublet of ready.