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📕 rednote ID(小红书号)：3881567312

Many: Definition, Examples, and Common Usage (2 meaning)

Meaning 1：a large number of (many)

many 🔊

/ˈmeni/

det., adj., pron.

Used to talk about a large number of things that you can count, like people, books, or cars.

a large number of 🔊

➕

/ə lɑːrdʒ ˈnʌmbər əv/

det., adj., pron.

Used before countable nouns to indicate that there are a lot of items or people.

📁 Category：School Education 🔖 Level：Beginner

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Root Explanation

From Old English 'manig', from Proto-Germanic '*managaz', meaning 'many, much'.

💡 Mnemonic

Think of 'many apples' — if you see a big pile of apples, you say 'many apples!'

📖 Example

The children picked up many beautiful shells on the beach. 🔊 The children picked up a large number of beautiful shells on the beach.

🔗 Collocations

so many – such a large number

too many – more than is wanted or needed

many of them – a large portion of a group

🔄 Synonyms

numerous (adj.) – Existing in great number, very many.

countless (adj.) – Too many to be counted, very many.

plenty of (phrase) – A large enough amount or number of something.

🚫 Antonyms

few (det., adj.) – A small number of, not many.

scarce (adj.) – Insufficient in quantity, not enough.

scant (adj.) – Barely sufficient or inadequate in amount.

🌱 Derivatives

manyfold (adv.) – By many times; in a multiplied manner.

many-sided (adj.) – Having many aspects or facets.

📖 Cultural Story

The word 'many' has been used since Old English times (c. 9th century) to indicate a large number. It appears in the famous Shakespearean line 'Many a true word is spoken in jest' from 'King Lear'.

Meaning 2：a wide variety of (many)

many 🔊

/ˈmeni/

det., adj., pron.

Used to emphasize a wide variety or different kinds of things.

Many different objects on a table illustrating a wide variety

a wide variety of 🔊

➕

/ə waɪd vəˈraɪəti əv/

det., adj., pron.

Used to emphasize that there are many different types or kinds of something.

📁 Category：Diet & Health 🔖 Level：Beginner

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Example

The supermarket offers many kinds of fruits from all over the world. 🔊 The supermarket offers a wide variety of fruits from all over the world.

🔗 Collocations

many different – many and varied in type

in many ways – using multiple methods or approaches

for many reasons – due to several causes or purposes

🔄 Synonyms

various (adj.) – Of different kinds or diverse.

diverse (adj.) – Showing a great deal of variety; very different.

numerous (adj.) – Existing in great number (also implies variousness when used with 'kinds').

🚫 Antonyms

same (adj.) – Identical, not different or varied.

uniform (adj.) – Consistent in form or character, lacking variety.

single (adj.) – Only one, not multiple.

🌱 Derivatives

multiplicity (n.) – A large number or wide range of something.