Meaning & use
myriad
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Meanings
adjectivebefore a nounformal
Too many to count; very numerous.
Grammar: Directly before a plural noun: myriad reasons.
Patterns
- myriad things
The city offers myriad ways to spend a weekend.
She was held back by myriad small fears.
Myriad stars appeared as the sky darkened.
nouncountableformal
A very large number of people or things.
Grammar: Used with of: a myriad of options.
Patterns
- a myriad of something
- myriads of something
A myriad of colors covered the market stalls.
The website offers a myriad of choices.
Myriads of fireflies lit the field.
Word forms
| plural | myriads |
|---|
Common combinations
- myriad ways
- There are myriad ways to learn a language.
- a myriad of
- The report lists a myriad of problems.
- myriad reasons
- He quit for myriad reasons.
- myriad possibilities
- The new tool opens myriad possibilities.
- myriad forms
- Pollution takes myriad forms.
Synonyms and how they differ
- countless
- Countless is more common and neutral, while myriad sounds more formal or elegant.
- innumerable
- Innumerable is formal and stresses that the number cannot be counted.
- numerous
- Numerous means many but not necessarily beyond counting.
- multitude
- Multitude is a noun for a great crowd or number and sounds slightly literary.
Opposites
Word family
- myriads noun
- plural, meaning huge numbers of something
- myriadfold adjective
- rare word meaning in countless parts
- myriad-minded adjective
- literary phrase for having countless thoughts
Commonly confused: myriad or mirage?
myriad vs mirage
A mirage is an optical illusion, whereas myriad means very many.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'myriad' correctly as an adjective?
Choose one answer.
As an adjective, myriad stands before a plural noun without of. The other options use the wrong number, position or pattern.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “myriad”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.