Make Your Point > Archived Issues > MYRIAD
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pronounce
MYRIAD:
Say it "MEER ee ud."
To hear it, click here.
connect this word to others:
The year 2020 had myriad problems. It was awful in a myriad of ways.
You know that myriad means "a lot," but how many is it exactly, if we're being literal?
Also, how many sides does a myriagon have?
If you said "ten thousand," you got it!
So if you say that 2020's problems were myriad, you're saying we seemed to have 10,000 problems. What if you want to compare those ten thousand problems to an army? Say "2020's problems were le__on."
(To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.)
definition:
Our word "myriad" traces back to a Greek one meaning "ten thousand, or countless."
In English, if you have myriad things, or a myriad of things, you have a whole lot: so many that they seem countless.
grammatical bits:
Part of speech:
Both an adjective ("There are myriad ways to solve this problem") and a noun ("There is a myriad of ways to solve this problem;" "There are myriads of ways to solve this problem").
Other forms:
myriads
how to use it:
The word "myriad" is common, graceful, sophisticated, and dramatic. Pick it when you need to exaggerate the number of something, suggesting that there seem to be ten thousand of them.
Your tone can be positive or negative: "a myriad of opportunities," "myriad aches and pains."
To use "myriad" as an adjective, talk about myriad things, like myriad issues, difficulties, discoveries, etc.
And to use it as a noun, talk about a myriad of things, like a myriad of dust bunnies under the bed or a myriad of James Smiths in the country.
examples:
"Morning mist burns away, leaving a myriad of cotton-white clouds from horizon to horizon."
— Neal Shusterman, Challenger Deep, 2015
"Unlike me, she cared about the myriad pop musical distinctions: punk, indie, alternative, hard-core, emo-core."
— Gayle Forman, If I Stay, 2009
has this page helped you understand "myriad"?
study it:
Explain the meaning of "myriad" without saying "tons" or "a dizzying amount."
try it out:
In Hidden Figures, Margot Lee Shetterly describes how complicated space travel is:
"The herculean task of safely navigating the heavens was divided into myriad smaller tasks, tests, parts, and people."
With space travel in mind as an example, talk about some other task, activity, performance, or accomplishment that involves myriad parts.
before you review, play:
Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.
Our game for February is "Piece It Together."
Use your knowledge of the given terms to define a related, ultra-rare term.
For example, you could use your knowledge of CELLULAR and MULTUM IN PARVO ("a lot in a little") to define the ultra-rare PARVOCELLULAR as "small-celled."
To see the answer, scroll all the way down. Enjoy!
Try this one today:
Use SIT and BLITZKRIEG to define SITZKRIEG.
review this word:
A. FEW and SHORTAGE.
B. SIMPLE and CHARM.
C. COPIOUS and BOATLOAD.
2. Myriapods are so called because they seem to have _____ feet.
A. hairlike
B. invisible
C. ten thousand
a final word:
I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love.
I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words.
From my blog:
36 ways to study words.
Why we forget words, & how to remember them.
How to use sophisticated words without being awkward.
To be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.
Disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes.
Our word "myriad" traces back to a Greek one meaning "ten thousand, or countless."
Part of speech:
The word "myriad" is common, graceful, sophisticated, and dramatic. Pick it when you need to exaggerate the number of something, suggesting that there seem to be ten thousand of them.
"Morning mist burns away, leaving a myriad of cotton-white clouds from horizon to horizon."
Explain the meaning of "myriad" without saying "tons" or "a dizzying amount."
In Hidden Figures, Margot Lee Shetterly describes how complicated space travel is:
Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.
I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love.
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