Make Your Point > Archived Issues > OMNIFARIOUS

Send Make Your Point issues straight to your inbox.

"OMNIFARIOUS" Meaning: More than just "multifarious," something omnifarious is very, very varied. In other words, omnifarious stuff has all kinds of things or all sorts of things. Pronunciation: OM nih FAIR ee us Part of speech: Adjective. (Adjectives are describing words, like “large” or “late.” They can be used in two ways: 1. Right before a noun, as in “omnifarious knowledge.” 2. After a linking verb, as in "His knowledge is omnifarious.”) Other forms: You'll find "omnifariousness" listed in a dictionary, but not "omnifariously," although there's no reason you can't use the latter. How to use it: Because this word is a bit of a mouthful, you might reserve it for when you're being funny or when you need to exaggerate. Talk about omnifarious topics and subjects, omnifarious data or facts or records, an omnifarious knowledge or understanding, omnifarious accusations or issues or problems, omnifarious skills or abilities, omnifarious resources or works of literature, omnifarious ambitions or goals or plans, etc. Steinbeck's novels can get a little dry and tedious at times, but you can't deny their omnifarious coverage of the human condition. When I was a child, he seemed to me to possess an omnifarious knowledge of the world and everything in it. Now that I know it's not true, I love and appreciate him even more. Look away from the screen to explain the definition in your own words. You’ll know you understand what "omnifarious" means when you can explain it without saying "has to do with all kinds of stuff" or "involving all sorts of things." Think of a time you realized that something was more complex or more varied than you once thought, and fill in the blanks: "I came to understand that (something) is an omnifarious _____ and not simply _____." Example: "Through Du Bois's book The Souls of Black Folk, I came to understand that the church is an omnifarious linchpin of a community and not simply a place to worship once a week." Spend at least 20 seconds occupying your mind with the game and quote below. Then try the review questions. Don’t go straight to the review now—let your working memory empty out first. Playing With Words: This month, challenge your powers of memory and recall (or just get ready to reign supreme on Wheel of Fortune) as we play with two-word phrases that you’ll find in a dictionary. We’ll start off with easy tasks and advance to harder ones as the month goes on. See the right answer to each question the following day. You might even see a new phrase that inspires your curiosity and makes you look it up. Have fun! (Note: Every dictionary recognizes a different set of two-word phrases. I used the OED to make these game questions.) Yesterday's question: What single word is missing from the chain of two-word phrases below? window dressing dressing ? ? service service charge Answer: room. Try this one today: What words are missing from the chain of two-word phrases below? set back back ? ? mark mark ? ? under under secretary A Point Well Made: John F. Kennedy: “The time to repair the roof is when the sun is shining.” 1. The opposite of OMNIFARIOUS is A. SINGULAR B. PLURAL C. COMPLEX 2. The philosopher's proposed ideas are omnifarious and therefore resist _____. A. contemplation B. refutation C. summary Answers are below. To be a sponsor and send your own message to readers of this list, please contact Liesl at Liesl@HiloTutor.com. Make Your Point is crafted with love and brought to you each day for free by Mrs. Liesl Johnson, M.Ed., a word lover, learning enthusiast, and private tutor of reading and writing in the verdant little town of Hilo, Hawaii. For writing tips, online learning, essay guidance, and more, please visit www.HiloTutor.com. Disclaimer: Word meanings presented here are expressed in plain language and are limited to common, useful applications only. Readers interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words are encouraged to check a dictionary. Likewise, word meanings, usage, and pronunciations are limited to American English; these elements may vary across world Englishes. Answers to review questions: 1. A 2. C Exploring the archives: You'll recognize the two main roots in today's "omnifarious" as "omni-," meaning "all," and "-farious," meaning "parts."  Knowing that, you can probably easily define everything from "bifarious," "trifarious," and "quadrifarious" to "plurifarious" and "multifarious" to "ambifarious." Fun, right? (The respective first roots of those words mean "two," "three," and "four;" "multiple" and "many;" "both.") Now for the hard one. What's something nefarious? Is the "-farious" in "nefarious" the same "-farious" as all those others listed above? Why or why not? (If you're stumped, here's the etymology of "nefarious.")