Plethora
/ˈplɛθərə/
nounmedium📊CommonGeneral
1 meaning3 questions
Definitions
1
An excessive or abundant amount of something.
/ˈplɛθərə/
nounneutralmedium
General
An excessive amount of something.
There was a plethora of food at the party.
💡 Simply: Imagine you go to a candy store, and there are SO many choices—way more than you can even think about trying! That's a plethora: a HUGE bunch of something.
👶 For kids: Lots and lots of something!
More Examples
2
The internet offers a plethora of information.
3
After the sale, the store had a plethora of unsold items.
How It's Used
General
"The store had a plethora of options."
Medical
"The doctor noted a plethora of symptoms."
Business
"The company faced a plethora of challenges."
Synonyms & Antonyms
Antonyms
From Greek πληθώρα (plēthṓra, 'fullness, abundance').
Historically used in medical contexts to describe an excess of bodily fluids; now more broadly used.
Memory tip
Think of 'plenty' and 'extra' combined.
Word Origin
LanguageGreek
Original meaning
"fullness, abundance"
Base: plethora
a plethora ofa veritable plethora ofa wide plethora ofplethora of optionsplethora of information
Common misspellings
pletheraplethraplithora
Practice
Usage
30%Spoken
70%Written