variety
Other forms: varieties
Variety is a quality similar to diversity or difference. Some feel having variety in life is much more exciting than doing the same routine day in and day out.
You’ve likely heard the expression “variety is the spice of life” to describe how our days are more interesting when different things happen. Variety can also describe different things that are classified under one category or type, like varieties of apple — granny smith, pink lady, or red delicious. A variety show is entertainment that includes a number of different and unrelated acts, like fire eaters, string bands, comedians, lounge singers, and spoon players.
Definitions of variety
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a category of things distinguished by some common characteristic or quality
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types:
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description
sort or variety
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type
a subdivision of a particular kind of thing
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antitype
an opposite or contrasting type
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art form
(architecture) a form of artistic expression (such as writing or painting or architecture)
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style
a particular kind (as to appearance)
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flavor, flavour
(physics) the six kinds of quarks
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color, colour
(physics) the characteristic of quarks that determines their role in the strong interaction
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species
a specific kind of something
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genus
a general kind of something
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brand, make
a recognizable kind
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genre
a kind of literary or artistic work
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ilk, like
a kind of person
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manner
a kind
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model
a type of product
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stripe
a kind or category
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like, the like, the likes of
a similar kind
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breed
a special type
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nature
a particular type of thing
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edition, variant, variation, version
something a little different from others of the same type
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architectural style, style of architecture, type of architecture
architecture as a kind of art form
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charm
(physics) one of the six flavors of quark
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strangeness
(physics) one of the six flavors of quark
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sonata form
a musical form having 3 sections -- exposition and development and recapitulation; characteristic of 1st movement of a sonata or symphony
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type of:
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category
a general concept that marks divisions or coordinations in a conceptual scheme
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a collection containing a variety of sorts of things“he had a variety of disorders”
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synonyms:
assortment, medley, miscellanea, miscellany, mixed bag, mixture, motley, potpourri, salmagundi, smorgasbord
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types:
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grab bag
an assortment of miscellaneous items
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witch's brew, witches' brew, witches' broth
a fearsome mixture
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range
a variety of different things or activities
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selection
an assortment of things from which a choice can be made
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farrago, gallimaufry, hodgepodge, hotchpotch, melange, mingle-mangle, mishmash, oddments, odds and ends, omnium-gatherum, ragbag
a motley assortment of things
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alphabet soup
a confusing assortment
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sampler
an assortment of various samples
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band
a range of frequencies between two limits
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type of:
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accumulation, aggregation, assemblage, collection
several things grouped together or considered as a whole
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a difference that is usually pleasant“he goes to France for variety”
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synonyms:
change
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type of:
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difference
the quality of being unlike or dissimilar
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difference
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noticeable heterogeneity“the range and variety of his work is amazing”
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synonyms:
diverseness, diversity, multifariousness
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types:
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biodiversity
the diversity of plant and animal life in a particular habitat (or in the world as a whole)
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type of:
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heterogeneity, heterogeneousness
the quality of being diverse and not comparable in kind
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biodiversity
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a show consisting of a series of short unrelated performances
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synonyms:
variety show
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types:
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minstrel show
a variety show in which the performers are made up in blackface
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review, revue
a variety show with topical sketches and songs and dancing and comedians
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music hall, vaudeville
a variety show with songs and comic acts etc.
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follies
a revue with elaborate costuming
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type of:
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show
a social event involving a public performance or entertainment
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(biology) a taxonomic category consisting of members of a species that differ from others of the same species in minor but heritable characteristics“varieties are frequently recognized in botany”
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types:
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breed, stock, strain
a special variety of domesticated animals within a species
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cultivar
a variety of a plant developed from a natural species and maintained under cultivation
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bloodstock
thoroughbred horses (collectively)
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pedigree
line of descent of a purebred animal
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type of:
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taxon, taxonomic category, taxonomic group
animal or plant group having natural relations
Pronunciation
US
/vəˈraɪədi/
UK
/vəˈraɪɛti/
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DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘variety'.
Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors.
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