- Kevin
- May 10, 2022
- Common Questions
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