numerous

numerous — adjective

1. existing or happening in very large amounts or quantities; far more than just a

1.adjectiveC1
Definition

existing or happening in very large amounts or quantities; far more than just a few.

Example

The library received numerous donations of rare books last month.

collocation: numerous + plural noun (donations)

Aiko has submitted numerous job applications but has not heard back from any company yet.

Common collocations
  • numerous attempts
  • numerous occasions
  • numerous studies
  • numerous examples
  • numerous problems
  • numerous times
Synonyms
  • many

    less formal; preferred in everyday speech

  • countless

    emphasises that the number is too large to count; more dramatic

  • abundant

    suggests plentiful supply, often with a positive tone

  • myriad

    literary or formal; suggests an extremely large and varied range

Antonyms
  • few

    the basic opposite in terms of quantity

  • scarce

    suggests insufficient supply rather than just a small number

Grammar Patterns

numerous + plural countable noun

Usage Note

Typically used with plural countable nouns. In everyday conversation, 'many' or 'a lot of' are more natural; 'numerous' sounds more formal and is especially common in academic, journalistic, or official writing.

Common Mistakes

We have received numerous feedback from our customers.
We have received a great deal of feedback from our customers.
'Feedback' is uncountable; 'numerous' is used with countable plural nouns.

Word family

  • numerously
    adverbC1
  • numerousness
    nounC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

'Numerous' is the most neutral choice for formal or written contexts — academic papers, news articles, and official reports. 'Many' covers the same meaning but is less formal and far more common in spoken English. 'Countless' adds emotional weight, suggesting a number so large it cannot be tallied (e.g., 'countless hours of practice'). 'Abundant' carries a positive tone of generous supply (e.g., 'abundant natural resources'). 'Myriad' is the most literary of the group and often implies variety as well as quantity (e.g., 'myriad possibilities'). In a research paper, 'numerous studies' fits naturally; in a casual conversation, 'lots of studies' or 'many studies' sounds more natural than 'numerous'.

numerous ↗many ↗countless ↗abundant ↗myriad

Common collocations

Nouns

  • studies
  • attempts
  • occasions
  • examples
  • problems
  • times
  • reports
  • species

Adverbs

  • far more numerous
  • increasingly numerous
  • equally numerous

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

Comes from Latin 'numerosus', meaning 'many, abundant', which came from 'numerus' ('number'). English adopted the word through French in the 16th century, keeping the sense of 'existing in great numbers'.