multiplicity
noun
mul·ti·plic·i·ty ˌməl-tə-ˈpli-sə-tē 
plural multiplicities
1
a
: the quality or state of being multiple or various
b
: the number of components in a system (such as a multiplet or a group of energy levels)
2
: a great number
3
: the number of times a root of an equation or zero of a function occurs when there is more than one root or zero
the multiplicity of x = 2 for the equation (x − 2)3 = 0 is 3
Synonyms
- abundance
- barrel
- basketful
- boatload
- bucket
- bunch
- bundle
- bushel
- carload
- chunk
- deal
- dozen
- fistful
- gobs
- good deal
- heap
- hundred
- lashings [chiefly British]
- lashins
- loads
- lot
- mass
- mess
- mountain
- much
- myriad
- oodles
- pack
- passel
- peck
- pile
- plateful
- plenitude
- plentitude
- plenty
- pot
- potful
- profusion
- quantity
- raft
- reams
- scads
- sheaf
- shipload
- sight
- slew
- spate
- stack
- store
- ton
- truckload
- volume
- wad
- wealth
- yard
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
a multiplicity of suggestions for turning the company around Shakespeare's works seem to encompass the full multiplicity of human experience.
Recent Examples on the Web Today, people interact with and consume audio in a variety of settings and with a multiplicity of devices at home, in cars and otherwise on the go. 
Brian Crannell, Forbes, 2 May 2022 This kind of multiplicity haunts folktales and parables; the moral depends on the disposition of the reader. Rachel Connolly, The New Republic, 12 Aug. 2022 The likeliest result is a multiplicity of laws depending on how the debate and elections go. Erik Wemple, Washington Post, 13 July 2022 Theme will acknowledge the multiplicity and variety of feminisms in contemporary society across its entire program. Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 20 July 2022 For the first-time visitor to the warehouse, the multiplicity of sacred objects usually seen by themselves can have a surreal aspect. New York Times, 24 Dec. 2021 If divine truth is single and universal, then multiplicity and relativism are the signatures of evil. Hari Kunzru, Harper’s Magazine , 22 June 2022 If personhood and the ability to think are the criteria by which to judge whether a sound is music, then music is a multiplicity encompassing the many forms of personhood and cognition in the living world. David George Haskell, Wired, 8 Mar. 2022 Scientific-seeming plates and full-page illustrations of ocean habitats show a great multiplicity of mammals, birds, fish, mollusks and more. Meghan Cox Gurdon, WSJ, 10 June 2022 See More
Brian Crannell, Forbes, 2 May 2022 This kind of multiplicity haunts folktales and parables; the moral depends on the disposition of the reader. Rachel Connolly, The New Republic, 12 Aug. 2022 The likeliest result is a multiplicity of laws depending on how the debate and elections go. Erik Wemple, Washington Post, 13 July 2022 Theme will acknowledge the multiplicity and variety of feminisms in contemporary society across its entire program. Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 20 July 2022 For the first-time visitor to the warehouse, the multiplicity of sacred objects usually seen by themselves can have a surreal aspect. New York Times, 24 Dec. 2021 If divine truth is single and universal, then multiplicity and relativism are the signatures of evil. Hari Kunzru, Harper’s Magazine , 22 June 2022 If personhood and the ability to think are the criteria by which to judge whether a sound is music, then music is a multiplicity encompassing the many forms of personhood and cognition in the living world. David George Haskell, Wired, 8 Mar. 2022 Scientific-seeming plates and full-page illustrations of ocean habitats show a great multiplicity of mammals, birds, fish, mollusks and more. Meghan Cox Gurdon, WSJ, 10 June 2022 See More Word History
Etymology
Middle English, from Middle French multiplicité, from Late Latin multiplicitat-, multiplicitas, from Latin multiplic-, multiplex
First Known Use
15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Medical Definition
multiplicity
noun
mul·ti·plic·i·ty ˌməl-tə-ˈplis-ət-ē
plural multiplicities
1
: the quality or state of being multiple or various
2
: the ratio of the number of infectious particles (as of a bacteriophage) to the number of cells at risk
monolayer cultures … were infected at an effective multiplicity of approximately 100 J. J. Holland
J. J. Holland Legal Definition
multiplicity
noun
mul·ti·plic·i·ty ˌməl-tə-ˈpli-sə-tē
plural multiplicities
1
a
: the quality or state of being multiple or various
b
: the charging of a single criminal act or offense as multiple separate charges or counts of an indictment or information
multiplicity does not require dismissal of the indictment W. R. LaFave and J. H. Israel
compare duplicity sense 2, misjoinder W. R. LaFave and J. H. IsraelNote: Multiplicity raises the risk of violating the double jeopardy protection against receiving multiple sentences for a single offense. Multiplicity is a defect that can be corrected without dismissal of the case.
2
: a great number
joinder is allowed to avoid a multiplicity of actions
multiplicity
noun
1
as in loads
a considerable amount a multiplicity of suggestions for turning the company around Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- loads
- ton
- plenty
- hundred
- slew
- dozen
- quantity
- abundance
- wealth
- deal
- bunch
- myriad
- lot
- pile
- chunk
- raft
- much
- profusion
- plenitude
- bundle
- stack
- plentitude
- mass
- volume
- mountain
- scads
- good deal
- heap
- sheaf
- oodles
- gobs
- yard
- mess
- reams
- basketful
- bucket
- truckload
- fistful
- carload
- plateful
- pack
- multitude
- all kinds (of)
- spate
- boatload
- sight
- bushel
- peck
- store
- passel
- barrel
- thousands
- lashins
- pot
- shipload
- lashings
- quite a bit
- potful
- wad
- plethora
- excess
- surplus
- score
- superabundance
- overabundance
- rash
- plague
- flood
- epidemic
- redundancy
- surfeit
- superfluity
- sea
- host
- million
- overmuch
- overkill
- bevy
- overflow
- embarrassment
- swarm
- oversupply
- deluge
- throng
- crowd
- bonanza
- overage
- horde
- legion
- zillion
- flock
- army
- cram
- herd
- press
- trillion
- crush
- mob
- gazillion
- drove
- jillion
- kazillion
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- taste
- fragment
- suspicion
- strain
- molecule
- handful
- particle
- shadow
- touch
- atom
- bit
- grain
- ray
- trace
- shade
- spot
- sprinkling
- mite
- streak
- hint
- smattering
- speck
- modicum
- pinch
- glimmer
- granule
- scruple
- ounce
- dot
- mouthful
- whit
- pittance
- dram
- iota
- ace
- nip
- peanuts
- absence
- mote
- shred
- sprinkle
- scrap
- lick
- tad
- portion
- section
- crumb
- dab
- scintilla
- lack
- scarcity
- paucity
- little
- jot
- piece
- shortage
- dash
- drop
- poverty
- driblet
- smidgin
- tittle
- deficiency
- smidgeon
- morsel
- smidgen
- insufficiency
- inadequacy
- shot
- smatter
- dearth
- flyspeck
- smidge
- fleck
- nubbin
- deficit
- famine
- meagerness
- scantiness
- want
- scarceness
- skimpiness
- undersupply
- scantness
2
as in diversity
the quality or state of being composed of many different elements or types Shakespeare's works seem to encompass the full multiplicity of human experience Synonyms & Similar Words
- diversity
- variety
- manifoldness
- diverseness
- heterogeneity
- multifariousness
- variousness
- assortment
- distinctness
- disparity
- dissimilarity
- distinctiveness
- otherness
- unlikeness
- miscellaneousness
- heterogeneousness
- distinction
- disparateness
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- homogeneity
- similarity
- sameness
- likeness
- paucity
- homogeneousness
- fewness
- silk oak
- silk paper
- silk plant
- silk plantain
- Silk Road
- silk route
- silk screen
- silk snapper
- silk spider
- silk sponge
- silk stockings
- silk system
- silk tassel
- silk thrower
- silk throwster
- silk tree
- silk wire
- silk-cotton family
- silk-cotton tree
- paper doll
- paper factor
- paper finger
- paper folding
- paper foot
- paper gold