Meaning & use
miscellaneous
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Meanings
adjectivebefore a noun
Made up of many different kinds of things that do not fit neatly into one group.
Grammar: Usually placed before a plural noun: miscellaneous items.
Patterns
- miscellaneous items
- miscellaneous expenses
The drawer was full of miscellaneous items, from batteries to string.
I put the odd costs under miscellaneous expenses.
She bought a bag of miscellaneous parts at the market.
adjectivebefore a nounformal
Varied in character or content, such as a book of different kinds of writing.
Grammar: Often describes collections or writings, not people.
Patterns
- a miscellaneous collection
The library has a miscellaneous collection of old pamphlets.
He published a miscellaneous volume of essays and poems.
Common combinations
- miscellaneous expenses
- Miscellaneous expenses made up ten percent of the budget.
- miscellaneous items
- The box held miscellaneous items from the attic.
- miscellaneous fees
- The bill added miscellaneous fees.
- miscellaneous category
- Put the leftover receipts in the miscellaneous category.
- miscellaneous supplies
- The shelf holds miscellaneous supplies for the class.
Synonyms and how they differ
- assorted
- Assorted suggests a pleasant mix chosen on purpose, as in assorted chocolates, while miscellaneous is more neutral or random.
- varied
- Varied describes variety in general, whereas miscellaneous suggests items that simply do not belong to a single group.
- mixed
- Mixed is plain and flexible, while miscellaneous sounds more formal and list-like.
- sundry
- Sundry is an older, slightly formal word for several different small things.
Opposites
Word family
- miscellany noun
- a collection of mixed items or writings
- miscellaneously adverb
- in a mixed, varied way, rare
- misc. abbreviation
- short written form of miscellaneous
- miscellanea noun
- a collection of various literary works or objects
Commonly confused: miscellaneous or miscellany?
miscellaneous vs miscellany
Miscellany is the noun for a mixed collection, while miscellaneous is the adjective describing mixed things.
Practice
Which phrase uses miscellaneous correctly?
Choose one answer.
Miscellaneous is an adjective, so it goes before a noun, as in a miscellaneous collection. Miscellany would be the noun form.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “miscellaneous”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.