INDEX:
1. words for describing things or people that are of different kinds
2. words for describing things or people of many different kinds
3. including many different people, things, activities etc
4. seeming to be together for no particular reason
5. a set of different things of the same general type
6. to start to get involved in new activities
7. to make something different and more varied
RELATED WORDS
see also
↑ DIFFERENT
↑ LOT
◆◆◆
1. words for describing things or people that are of different kinds
▷ different /ˈdɪf ə rənt/ [adjective only before noun]
use this about several people or things of the same general type, when you are comparing them with each other and noticing the differences between them :
▪ His hair was dyed in at least three different colors.
▪ I always check the prices of different brands before I make a major purchase.
▪ The drug affects different people in different ways.
▪ The word can have completely different meanings depending on the context.
▷ various /ˈve ə riəs/ [adjective only before noun]
use this when you want to emphasize that there are several different people or things :
▪ The study evaluates various methods of weight loss.
▪ The committee has asked various people for their opinions.
▪ I had to sign various documents before they would let me into the country.
▷ a variety of something /ə vəˈraɪəti əv something/ [noun phrase] especially written
a lot of things that are different from each other, but of the same general type :
▪ Children do badly at school for a variety of reasons.
▪ The reef fishes display an almost endless variety of colors and patterns.
a wide variety of something
a large variety
▪ The college offers a wide variety of language courses.
▷ differing /ˈdɪf ə rɪŋ/ [adjective only before noun]
different from each other, especially very different in degree, amount, character etc :
▪ We aim to satisfy the differing needs of our customers.
▪ Survivors sustained injuries with differing degrees of severity.
widely differing
▪ There are widely differing views among community leaders on how best to deal with the homeless issue.
▷ varying /ˈve ə riɪŋ/ [adjective only before noun]
different from each other in degree, amount, condition etc :
▪ The program teaches children of varying ages.
▪ It is now possible to grow satisfactory crops under varying climatic conditions.
varying degrees/levels/amounts etc of something
▪ She has tried numerous diets with varying degrees of success.
▪ Test-takers must complete ten tasks with varying levels of complexity.
▷ an assortment of something /ən əˈsɔːʳtmənt əv something/ [noun phrase]
several things that are of the same general kind but are not all exactly alike :
▪ Police confiscated an assortment of weapons from the gang.
▪ Every good cook needs an assortment of knives for different jobs in the kitchen.
▪ The basket contained an assortment of sandwiches, cheese, and fruit.
▷ assorted /əˈsɔːʳtɪd, əˈsɔːʳtəd/ [adjective only before noun]
various things of the same general kind, all together in the same place - often used about products :
▪ In the centre of the table was a plate of assorted biscuits.
▪ a box of assorted bandages
▪ The website contains links to assorted investment sites.
▷ a mix of something /ə ˈmɪks əv something/ [noun phrase]
an interesting or useful variety of different people or things :
▪ The ideal lesson contains a good mix of activities and subjects.
▪ A mix of young people and old people attended the meeting.
▪ The band’s music is an exciting mix of jazz, swing, and rock ‘n’ roll.
▷ a mixture of something /ə ˈmɪkstʃər əv something/ [noun phrase]
a variety of people or things, especially when they have been deliberately chosen to be together :
▪ The film is largely a mixture of music, dance, and comedy.
▪ Indonesian civilization is an extreme mixture of races, religions, and cultures.
▪ Yiddish is a dialect of German with a mixture of Polish and Hebrew added.
2. words for describing things or people of many different kinds
▷ all sorts/kinds of something /ɔːl ˈsɔːʳts, ˈkaɪndz əv something/ [noun phrase] especially spoken
a lot of people or things that are different from each other, but of the same general type :
▪ I meet all sorts of people in my job.
▪ The bureau provides advice on all kinds of housing problems.
▪ My landlady has all kinds of junky stuff in the basement.
▪ Pregnancy causes all sorts of hormonal changes in your body.
▷ diverse /daɪˈvɜːʳsǁ də̇-, daɪ-/ [adjective]
very different from each other, though belonging to the same group or being connected in some way :
▪ Indian cinema shows several diverse influences.
▪ It is difficult to design a program that will meet the diverse needs of all our users.
▪ The category of ‘mammals’ contains creatures as diverse as whales, elephants, and human beings.
diversity [uncountable noun]
▪ The diversity of languages among our schoolkids should be seen as a benefit, and not as a disadvantage.
▷ all manner of something /ɔːl ˈmænər əv something/ [noun phrase]
many very different or surprisingly different kinds of things :
▪ All manner of foodstuffs lay scattered on the kitchen table.
▪ Health food stores promote all manner of herbs to prevent colds.
▷ from/in all walks of life /frəm, ɪn ˌɔːl wɔːks əv ˈlaɪf/ [adjective phrase]
from or in every kind of job and every social class :
▪ Members of the organization come from all walks of life.
▪ The Internet has affected the everyday existence of children and adults in all walks of life.
▪ Golf used to be a game for the rich, but now it attracts people from all walks of life.
3. including many different people, things, activities etc
▷ varied /ˈve ə rid/ [adjective]
consisting of or including many different people, things, activities etc :
▪ He had a varied and outstanding career.
▪ Grain products, vegetables, and fruit are important parts of a varied diet.
▪ Sandra’s circle of friends was varied, and often a little strange.
▷ variety /vəˈraɪəti/ [uncountable noun]
the differences within a group, set of actions etc that make it interesting :
▪ She’s always complaining that her job doesn’t have enough variety.
▪ The music on her latest CD shows a great deal of variety.
variety of
▪ The doctor encouraged him to increase the variety of food that he eats.
▷ diverse /daɪˈvɜːʳsǁdɪ-, daɪˈvɜːʳsǁdə-, daɪ-/ [adjective]
a diverse group of people or things contains a lot of very different types of people or things :
▪ The project studied a diverse group of 20,000 teenagers from nine high schools.
▪ We believe the committee should reflect the diverse make-up of our community.
▪ The region’s economy is more diverse now than it was 10 years ago.
▷ wide-ranging /ˌwaɪd ˈreɪndʒɪŋ◂/ [adjective]
including many different subjects, ideas, or things :
▪ Climate change is likely to have a wide-ranging impact on human health.
▪ Our discussions were wide-ranging and substantive.
▪ A wide-ranging survey found growing dissatisfaction among workers.
▷ mixed /mɪkst/ [adjective usually before noun]
including two or more different things of the same type, or people of different types, mixed together :
▪ The show draws a mixed audience of children and adults.
▪ After beating the cake mixture, add a handful of mixed nuts.
▪ This is a very mixed neighborhood, both racially and socially.
▷ multicultural/multiracial /ˌmʌltiˈkʌltʃ ə rəl◂, ˌmʌlti ˈreɪʃ ə l◂/ [adjective usually before noun]
including or concerning people of different races or religions, especially those who live together in the same society, go to the same schools etc :
▪ Most of today’s teachers are committed to multicultural education.
▪ He grew up in a multiracial area in London’s East End.
▪ Government policies should reflect the multiracial nature of our society.
4. seeming to be together for no particular reason
▷ miscellaneous /ˌmɪsəˈleɪniəs◂/ [adjective only before noun]
▪ You’ll need enough money for food, transport, and other miscellaneous costs.
▪ Their junk shop was full of chairs, trunks, ornaments, and other miscellaneous objects.
▪ The seminar was attended by a miscellaneous collection of students, businessmen, and housewives.
▷ motley /ˈmɒtliǁˈmɑːtli/ [adjective only before noun]
motley crew/bunch/assortment etc
a group of people of very different kinds, especially people that you disapprove of :
▪ The people who travelled with us to Mexico were a motley crew.
▪ A motley bunch of students, ex-convicts and unemployed artists worked together to repair the building.
▷ mixed bag /ˌmɪkst ˈbæg/ [singular noun] informal
a group of people or things of very different kinds which do not seem to have much connection with each other :
▪ Downtown is a mixed bag of upscale retailers and discount stores.
▪ Today, healthcare depends on a mixed bag of medical professionals, charity workers, and patients’ families.
▷ this, that, and the other also this, that, and the other thing American /ˌðɪs, ˌðæt, ə n ði ˈʌðəʳ, ˌðɪs, ˌðæt, ə n ði ˈʌðəʳ θɪŋ/ [noun phrase] spoken
say this about a variety of things that someone says or does :
▪ We spent the evening chatting about this, that, and the other.
▪ The casting agents always want me to prove that I can do this, that, and the other thing.
5. a set of different things of the same general type
▷ a range of something /ə ˈreɪndʒ əv something/ [noun phrase]
a set of many different things of the same general type that are available in the same place for the same use :
▪ She has an interesting range of hobbies, from stamp-collecting to astronomy.
a wide/broad range of something
▪ Atkins is extremely well educated and able to talk on a broad range of topics.
▪ It was difficult to choose from such a wide range of dishes on the menu.
▷ spectrum /ˈspektrəm/ [countable noun usually singular]
a complete range of different types of things or people, especially when those at one end of the range are the opposite of those at the other end :
spectrum of
▪ The spectrum of protest activity goes from peaceful to extremely violent.
broad/wide/whole/entire spectrum
▪ Their songs appeal to a broad spectrum of music lovers.
▪ You can find therapists along the whole spectrum, from caring and honest to cool and manipulative.
at one end/the other end of the spectrum
▪ At one end of the spectrum were the Communists, and at the other, the Nationalists.
political spectrum
range of political opinions
▪ The announcement has upset people all across the political spectrum.
▷ selection /sɪˈlekʃ ə n, səˈlekʃ ə n/ [countable noun]
a number of different things of the same kind that are available for you to choose or use :
▪ Customers are invited to view the selection at any time.
selection of
▪ The library also has a selection of foreign language videos on the third floor.
wide/broad selection
▪ The shop offers a wide selection of glasses frames to choose from.
▷ gamut /ˈgæmət/ [singular noun]
a complete range of every possible emotion, problem, experience etc :
gamut of
▪ ‘Fear’ is a word that covers a gamut of different feelings.
a/the whole gamut
▪ Alternative therapies have been successful with a whole gamut of health problems.
▪ New mothers can experience the whole gamut of emotions, from intense joy to deep depression.
run the gamut
▪ Lodgings run the gamut from rustic cabins to plush hotels.
6. to start to get involved in new activities
▷ branch out /ˌbrɑːntʃ ˈaʊtǁˌbræntʃ-/ [intransitive phrasal verb]
▪ When you don’t allow employees to branch out, they become bored.
▪ The clothing designer has branched out and now has his name on a line of perfume.
branch out into
▪ Many businesses are unwilling to branch out into new and unfamiliar areas.
▷ diversify /daɪˈvɜːʳsɪfaɪ, daɪˈvɜːʳsəfaɪǁdə̇-, daɪ-/ [intransitive verb]
if a business or organization diversifies, it begins to make new products or get involved in new areas of business in addition to what it was doing before :
▪ The company is diversifying to find new sources of income.
diversify into
▪ We started out making cash registers, but have diversified into computer systems of all sorts.
7. to make something different and more varied
▷ vary /ˈve ə ri/ [transitive verb]
▪ To obtain the nutrients you need, vary the foods you eat.
▪ Good writers vary the length and structure of their sentences.
▷ add variety to /ˌæd vəˈraɪəti tuː/ [verb phrase]
to make something more varied, especially in order to make it more interesting :
▪ Tutoring younger students can add variety to older students’ days, and make them feel important.
▪ Bartlett argued that billboards add color and variety to our city streets.