What does "variety" mean?
A deviation or difference.
Variety
/vəˈɹaɪ.ɪ.ti/ noun
noun ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A deviation or difference.
- Grammar: variety is listed as noun.
- Nearest alternatives: assortment, diversity, a certain number, a few.
- Useful contrasts: architectural plainness, humdrum, monotone delivery.
- Usage evidence: You must adapt to a variety of conditions.
How to use "variety"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "variety" 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 "variety" 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 "variety" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "variety" 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 "variety" is acting as noun 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 "assortment" 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 "variety", 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 A deviation or difference. countable, uncountable
"The difference, therefore, in theſe animals, ariſes rather from their habits than their confirmation; and, upon examination, there will be leſs variety found betvween them than between birds that live upon land, and thoſe that ſwim upon the water."
- 2 noticeable heterogeneity wordnet
- 3 A specific variation of something. countable, uncountable
"The ſpirit of that competition burns / With all varieties of ill by turns, / Each vainly magnifies his own ſucceſs, / Reſents his fellows, wiſhes it were leſs, […]"
- 4 a difference that is usually pleasant wordnet
- 5 A specific variation of something.; An animal or plant (or a group of such animals or plants) with characteristics causing it to differ from other animals or plants of the same species; a strain or cultivar. broadly, countable, uncountable
"Many more ſorts of varieties of theſe kindes [of Aconitum anthora] there are, but theſe onely, as the moſt ſpecious, are nourſed vp in Floriſts Gardens for pleaſure; the other are kept by ſuch as are Catholicke obſeruers of all natures ſtore."
Show 14 more definitions
- 6 a category of things distinguished by some common characteristic or quality wordnet
- 7 A specific variation of something.; An animal or plant (or a group of such animals or plants) with characteristics causing it to differ from other animals or plants of the same species; a strain or cultivar.; A rank in a taxonomic classification below species and (if present) subspecies, and above form; hence, an organism of that rank. broadly, countable, uncountable
"Capsicum annuum var. glabriusculum is a variety of Capsicum annuum commonly known as chiltepin or Indian pepper."
- 8 a show consisting of a series of short unrelated performances wordnet
- 9 A specific variation of something.; A specific form of a language, neutral to whether that form is an accent, dialect, register, etc., and to its prestige level; an isolect or lect. countable, uncountable
"The mere existence of a dictionary of a certain variety of English does not automatically confer acceptance of that variety."
- 10 (biology) a taxonomic category consisting of members of a species that differ from others of the same species in minor but heritable characteristics wordnet
- 11 A specific variation of something.; A stamp, or set of stamps, which has one or more characteristics (such as colour, paper, etc.) differing from other stamps in the same issue, especially if such differences are intentionally introduced. countable, uncountable
- 12 a collection containing a variety of sorts of things wordnet
- 13 A collection or number of different things. countable, uncountable
"But nether in this maner, nor any other particular procedyng, can we ſufficiently direct yow: but, notyng unto yow the generalitees of our deſyre, referr yow to apply your doings to the varieté and occurrency of thyngs there."
- 14 A collection or number of different things.; In universal algebra: an equational class; the class of all algebraic structures of a given signature, satisfying a given set of identities. countable, uncountable
- 15 A collection or number of different things.; Ellipsis of algebraic variety (“the set of solutions of a given system of polynomial equations over the real or complex numbers; any of certain generalisations of such a set that preserves the geometric intuition implicit in the original definition”). abbreviation, alt-of, countable, ellipsis, uncountable
- 16 A collection or number of different things.; The total number of distinct states of a system; also, the logarithm to the base 2 of the total number of distinct states of a system. countable, uncountable
- 17 Ellipsis of variety performance or variety show (“a type of entertainment featuring a succession of short, unrelated performances by various artistes such as (depending on the medium) acrobats, comedians, dancers, magicians, singers, etc.”). abbreviation, alt-of, countable, ellipsis, uncountable
- 18 The quality of being varied; diversity. countable, uncountable
"Variety is the spice of life."
- 19 The kind of entertainment given in variety performances or shows; also, the production of, or performance in, variety performances or shows. countable, uncountable
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"You must adapt to a variety of conditions."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "variety"?
Common synonyms include: assortment, diversity, a certain number, a few, a wide range, about face.
How do you use "variety" in a sentence?
You must adapt to a variety of conditions.
How do you pronounce "variety"?
Pronounced /vəˈɹaɪ.ɪ.ti/.
Etymology
From Middle French varieté (“variety”) (modern French variété (“variety; genre, type”)) or directly from its etymon Latin varietās (“difference; diversity, variety”) + English -ty (suffix forming abstract nouns from adjectives); by surface analysis, various + -ety. Varietās is derived from varius (“different, diverse, various; variegated”) (possibly ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₁weh₂- (“to abandon; to give out; to leave”)) + -tās (suffix forming feminine abstract nouns indicating a state of being). The English word displaced the native Old English mislīcnes. Sense 1.3.2 (“total number of distinct states of a system; logarithm to the base 2 of the total number of distinct states of a system”) was coined by the English psychiatrist William Ross Ashby (1903–1972) in his work An Introduction to Cybernetics (1956). Cognates * Galician variedade (“variety”) * Italian varietà (“difference; variety”) * Portuguese variedade (“variety”) * Spanish variedad (“breed; variety”)