What does "sundry" mean?
A minor miscellaneous item.
Sundry
/ˈsʌnd.ɹi/ adj, adv, noun, pron
adj, adv, noun, pron ·Moderate ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A minor miscellaneous item.
- Grammar: sundry is listed as adj, adv, noun, pron.
- Nearest alternatives: assorted, miscellaneous, all and sundry, assorted.
- Useful contrasts: essentials, homogeneous, main items.
- Usage evidence: Finally he invited all and sundry to partake of the cake and all.
How to use "sundry"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "sundry" 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 "sundry" 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 "sundry" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "sundry" 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 "sundry" is acting as adj, adv, noun, pron 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 "assorted" 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.
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Final meaning check
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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 A minor miscellaneous item. in-plural
"[…] I am firmly perſuaded the vvhole pitiful 30 l. came pure and neat into the captain's pocket, and not only ſo, but attended vvith the value of 10 l. more in ſundries, into the bargain."
- 2 A minor miscellaneous item.; A food item eaten as an accompaniment to a meal; a side dish; also, such an item eaten on its own as a light meal. in-plural
"[…] Mr. Alexander Trott sat down to a fried sole, maintenon cutlet, Madeira, and sundries, with much greater composure than he had experienced since the receipt of Horace Hunter's letter of defiance."
- 3 Synonym of extra (“a run scored without the ball having hit the striker's bat”). Australia, in-plural
"The wicketkeeper for Williamstown had a bad day, as sundries topped the score with 30."
Adjective
- 1 More than one or two but not very many; a number of, several.
"Dearely beloued brethren, the ſcripture moueth vs in ſondrye places, to acknowledge and confeſſe our manyfolde ſynnes and wyckedneſſe, […]"
- 2 Of various types, especially when numerous; diverse, varied.
"On the outskirts were various rude booths, in which whiskey and water, and sundry articles of provision, and fodder for horses, were dispensed for a consideration."
- 3 Consisting of an assortment of different kinds; miscellaneous.
"For vvhat reaſon is there vvᶜʰ ſhould but induce, and therfore much leſſe enforce vs to thinke, that care of diſſimilitude betvveene the people of God & the heathen nations about them, vvas any more the cauſe of forbidding them to put on garments of ſundry ſtuffe then of charging them vvithall not to ſovv their fields with meſline, or that this vvas any more the cauſe of forbidding them to eate Svvines fleſh, then of charging them vvithall not to eate the fleſh of Eagles, Haukes, and the like?"
- 4 Chiefly preceded by a number or an adjective like many: of two or more similar people or things: not the same as other persons or things of the same nature; different, distinct, separate. (Contrast sense 5.2.) archaic
"Galene, and Paule conteyne aſcyron vnder androſemo: but [Pedanius] Dioscorides deſcrybeth thes herbes ſeuerally, & ſo maketh them ſondry herbes."
- 5 Relating to a single person or thing as opposed to more than one; individual, respective. obsolete
"For the heathen supposing that the whole word, and all the creatures therein, was too great a diocese to be daily visited by one and the same Deity, they therefore assigned sundry gods to several creatures."
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 Of a person or thing: not the same as something else; different. (Contrast sense 4.) obsolete
"Where as ſome men thynke now yͭ many tranſlacyons [of the Bible] make diuiſyon in yͤ fayth and in the people of God, yͭ is not ſo: for it was neuer better with the congregacion of god, then whan euery church allmoſt had yͤ Byble of a ſondrye trãſlacion."
- 7 Not attached or connected to anything else; physically separate. obsolete
"The diſtance of place doth not lett nor hinder the Spiritual Communion vvhich is betvveen one and another, ſo that John and Thomas vvhereſoever they be, far and ſundry, or near together, being both lively Members of Chriſt, receive either of others Goodneſs ſome Commodity; […]"
Adjective
- 1 consisting of a haphazard assortment of different kinds wordnet
Adverb
- 1 Synonym of asunder (“into separate parts or pieces”). Northern-England, Scotland, in-plural
"[O]ur joynts have almost been pulled sundry, with driving in hackney coaches throu all corners, amongst our great men, for some weeks; […]"
- 2 Placed separately; apart. Northern-England, Scotland, archaic, in-plural
"[T]he church of Epheſus, or, of any certain place, includeth all the profeſſors living there; they are accounted of that church, and no other, as providence hath put them together: and the churches are divided as they live ſundry."
- 3 Individually, separately; sundrily. Northern-England, Scotland, in-plural, obsolete
"Theſe three in theſe three rovvmes did ſondry dvvell, / And counſelled faire Alma, hovv to gouerne vvell."
Pronoun
- 1 Various people or things; several. Northern-England, Scotland, in-plural, plural
"The not underſtanding of which has made ſundry in vain attempt to predict events foretold, in the Apocalypſe to the accurateneſs of a Prophetical Day, […]"
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"Finally he invited all and sundry to partake of the cake and all."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "sundry"?
Common synonyms include: assorted, miscellaneous, all and sundry, assorted, assortment, certain.
How do you use "sundry" in a sentence?
Finally he invited all and sundry to partake of the cake and all.
How do you pronounce "sundry"?
Pronounced /ˈsʌnd.ɹi/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
The adjective is derived from Middle English sondri, sondry, syndry (“individually; occasionally; separately; variously”) [and other forms], from Old English syndriġ (“alone, distinct, separate, single; sundry, various; concerning a single person, own, particular, peculiar, private; exceptional, remarkable, set apart, special; (distributive) one each”) [and other forms], from sundor (“differently; privately; separate, separately”) (from Proto-Germanic *sundraz (“alone, isolated; separate”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *senH- (“apart; for oneself; without”)) + -iġ (“suffix forming adjectives”). The English word is analysable as sunder + -y. The noun and pronoun are derived from the adjective. Cognates * Dutch zonderlijk (“separate”) (rare), Dutch afzonderlijk (“separate”) * Low German sunderig (“single; special”) * Middle High German sunderig (“private; separate; special”) * Swedish söndrig (“broken; tattered”)
Etymology 2
From Middle English sondri, sondry, syndri (“individually; now and then, occasionally; physically apart, separately; variously”) [and other forms], from Old English syndrige [and other forms], from Old English syndriġ (adjective): see further at etymology 1. Cognates * Old High German suntarīgo