Do you have a miscellaneous drawer in your house full of things that don’t quite have a place? Or maybe you have a miscellaneous folder in your email with random messages you don’t want to lose but don’t fit anywhere specific. Have you ever taken the time to think about the definition of miscellaneous?

First, this article will define the word miscellaneous. Then, it will provide you with example sentences containing the word miscellaneous. You can learn how to use miscellaneous in a sentence, discuss the origin of the word miscellaneous, and provide information on other topics related to the word miscellaneous.

You can say this article provides miscellaneous information about the word miscellaneous!

What Does Miscellaneous Mean?

According to Dictionary, miscellaneous is an adjective that describes something that has many members or elements of different kinds or various qualities. The pronunciation of miscellaneous is mɪsəˈleɪniəs, and miscellaneous is five syllables: mis-cel-lan-e-ous. The abbreviation for miscellaneous is misc.

How Can We Use Miscellaneous in a Sentence?

Miscellaneous is a fairly common word in the English language. You might hear it frequently if you talk about varied or jumbled things. By reading the below example sentences using miscellaneous, you can get the confidence to use this word in a sentence all on your own!

Example #1: Miscellaneous Charges

The mother tried to figure out the miscellaneous expenses on the credit card bill. However, she later discovered that her young son had been ordering toys online without her knowledge.

Question: What is miscellaneous in the above sentence?

Answer: The expenses are miscellaneous.

Example #2: The Messy Garage

We sorted through the miscellaneous junk that my grandfather kept in the garage. While some of it was cool, most of it was trash, like dried-up paint cans or decades-old nails.

Question: What is miscellaneous in the above sentence?

Answer: The junk is miscellaneous.

Example #3: The Junk Drawer

The junk drawer held miscellaneous items from spare keys to the house to stamps to random sticky notes from five years ago.

Question: What is miscellaneous in the above sentence?

Answer: The items are miscellaneous.

Example #4: The Raven

The raven hoarded a miscellaneous collection of goods from the human world, including shiny things like marbles and thimbles, pieces of string, and wire.

Question: What is miscellaneous in the above sentence?

Answer: The collection is miscellaneous.

What Is the Etymology of Miscellaneous?

The word miscellaneous (ˌmɪsəˈleɪniəs) comes from the Latin miscellāneus, and has been in the English language since the early to mid 1600s. The Latin word origin comes from the Latin miscere and miscellus.

What Are Translations of Miscellaneous?

Miscellaneous has several translations outside of American English. In fact, many languages around the world have their own translations of the word miscellaneous!

By referencing this list of translations of miscellaneous from Nice Translator, you can describe things that are varied or mixed up. Can you think of a situation where you might describe something as miscellaneous?

Russian: Разное
Czech: smíšený
Hindi: विविध
Finnish: sekalainen
Norwegian: Diverse
Portuguese (Brazil): Diversos
Spanish: misceláneas, variado
Latvian: dažāds
Croatian: razni
Thai: เบ็ดเตล็ด
French: divers
Slovak: Zmiešaný
Vietnamese: Điều khoản khác
Basque: heterogeneo
Estonian: mitmesuguseid
Amharic: ልዩነቶች
Korean: 여러 가지 잡다한
Serbian: Остало
Malayalam: കലര്പ്പായ
Chinese (Taiwan): 各種各樣的
Welsh: hamddenol
Danish: blandet
Hebrew: שונות
Kannada: ವಿವಿಧ
German: Sonstiges
Gujarati: પરચુરણ
Telugu: ఇతరాలు
Bengali: বিবিধ
Tamil: இதர
Icelandic: Ýmislegt
Greek: διάφορα
Turkish: çeşitli
Italian: varie
Indonesian: aneka ragam
Hungarian: vegyes
Marathi: संकीर्ण
Japanese: その他
Portuguese (Portugal): Diversos
Lithuanian: Įvairūs
Chinese (PRC): 各种各样的
Urdu: متفرق
Swedish: diverse
Polish: Różne
Dutch: gemengd
Bulgarian: Разни
Ukrainian: різний
Romanian: diverse
Filipino: Iba’t ibang
Arabic: متفرقات
Catalan: divers
Slovenian: Razno
Malay: pelbagai

What Are Synonyms of Miscellaneous?

The word miscellaneous has a neutral connotation. If you are looking for other ways to describe things as miscellaneous with a positive or negative connotation, you can use a word from this list of synonyms from Power Thesaurus:

alloyed
amalgamated
assorted
assortment of
blended
chowchow
combined
complex
composite
compound
confused
conglomerate
cross-cultural
crossbred
different
differing
disparate
dissimilar
divergent
diverse
diversified
eclectic
general
heterogeneous
heterogenous
hybrid
incorporated
indiscriminate
jumbled
manifold
many
many-sided
mingled
mixed
mixed-race
motley
multicolored
multifaceted
multifarious
multiform
multiple
multiplex
multiskilled
myriad
numerous
odd
omnifarious
promiscuous
racially mixed
several
sundry
varied
variegated
various
varying
well-rounded

What Are Antonyms of Miscellaneous?

To describe something ordered or uniform, you can use a word from this list of antonyms of miscellaneous from Power Thesaurus. If something is not miscellaneous, it is not varied or jumbled but alike or corresponding.

Which of these words might you use if you were to describe something that is not miscellaneous?

aforementioned
aforesaid
akin
alike
all the same
alone
analogous
as much
carbon copy
changeless
coequal
common
comparable
congruent
consistent
constant
corresponding
ditto
duplicate
equal
equality
equally
equitable
equivalent
even
homogeneous
homologous
identic
identical
in similar fashion
in the same manner
in the same way
indistinguishable
interchangeable
invariable
just the same
like
likewise
matching
one and the same
parallel
related
same
same way
selfsame
similar
similarly
single
synonymous
tantamount
twin
unaltered
unchanged
unchanging
uniform
unvaried
unvarying
very
very same
well

Conclusion

The definition of miscellaneous (ˌmɪsəˈleɪnɪəs) is varied, mixed, or containing multiple different types of elements. The word miscellaneous is fairly common and has a neutral connotation.

If you wanted to use a word like miscellaneous with a positive connotation, you might use diverse or multifaceted. For a negative connotation, opt for something like jumbled or motley.

Sources:

Miscellaneous Synonyms | Power Thesaurus

Same Synonyms | Power Thesaurus

Miscellaneous Definition & Meaning | Dictionary.com

Miscellaneous | Nice Translator

Kevin Miller is a growth marketer with an extensive background in Search Engine Optimization, paid acquisition and email marketing. He is also an online editor and writer based out of Los Angeles, CA. He studied at Georgetown University, worked at Google and became infatuated with English Grammar and for years has been diving into the language, demystifying the do's and don'ts for all who share the same passion! He can be found online here.