What does multifarious mean?
Word: Multifarious
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning: of many different kinds, or having many different parts.
Antonyms: uniform
How do you spell multifarious?
Syllables: mul - ti - far - i - ous
Tricky part: Fast speech hides the vowels near the close of the word. It is spelt arious, not erious or arius, however quickly you say it.
Watch out for: multifarius, multiferious, multifairious
Memory tip: It rhymes with hilarious, and the letters after the f match the letters after the l in that word.
Multifarious in a sentence
Example 1: Mumbai's markets sell a multifarious range of goods, from brass lamps to phone covers.
Example 2: A school principal has multifarious jobs to juggle each day.
Example 3: The Himalayas support a multifarious collection of plants and animals.
Fun Fact
English borrowed it from Latin over 400 years ago, and the idea of many parts has stayed with it ever since.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Cookie
Insert the correct letters to form a word:
m_lt_farious
a) u, e
b) u, i
c) o, i
d) a, i
Show answer
b) u, i. The word starts with the same multi you know from multiply.
Mingle-Mangle
Unjumble the letters to find the word that fits the sentence:
The iumotairufsl sounds of the railway station at rush hour kept the little boy wide awake and curious.
a) multinational
b) multifarious
c) multiplication
d) multicoloured
Show answer
b) multifarious. An f sits in the jumble, and none of the other three has one.
Word Connection
Choose the synonym of the word multifarious as used in the sentence:
The multifarious duties of a school captain range from leading assembly to settling the football timetable.
a) tiresome
b) urgent
c) identical
d) diverse
Show answer
d) diverse. Duties that range so widely are diverse; identical says the reverse.
Spell-o-Spell
Three words in the list are spelt correctly and one is misspelt. Choose the meaning of the misspelt word.
1. miscellaneous 2. assorted 3. multifarious 4. kaliedoscope
a) made up of unrelated items of different kinds
b) of various sorts, mixed together in one group
c) a tube of mirrors that shows patterns shifting as it turns
d) spread across a very wide variety of forms
Show answer
c) a tube of mirrors that shows patterns shifting as it turns. Kaleidoscope has its e before its i.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. A club with multifarious activities would probably ____.
a) offer chess, drama, hiking and robotics
b) teach only one song for the whole term
c) meet once a year for a single lunch
d) hold one quiz in the same room each week
Show answer
a) offer chess, drama, hiking and robotics
2. Which word could NOT replace multifarious in the phrase 'multifarious interests'?
a) narrow
b) numerous
c) varied
d) assorted
Show answer
a) narrow
