many
many Lexical Profile
many Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
Constituting or amounting to a large, indefinite number of countable things or people.
"She has visited many countries across Europe and Asia during her career."
• pronoun
A large number of people or things.
"Many were invited to the conference, but only a handful could attend in person."
• noun
The majority of people; the general public or the masses (usually preceded by 'the').
"A democratic policy should serve the interests of the many rather than the privileges of the few."
Word Nuance & Usage
'Many' is used strictly with countable plural nouns (e.g., 'many books'), whereas 'much' is used with uncountable nouns (e.g., 'much water'). In the construction 'many a' followed by a singular noun (e.g., 'many a day'), it takes a singular verb for literary or formal emphasis.
• Rhymes for many
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
From Old English 'manig', of Proto-Germanic origin and cognate with Dutch 'menig' and German 'manch', tracing back to a Proto-Indo-European root meaning 'copious' or 'abundant'.