menagerie

noun

me·​nag·​er·​ie

mə-ˈnaj-rē,

-ˈna-jə- 

 also  -ˈnazh-rē,

-ˈna-zhə-

1

a

: a place where animals are kept and trained especially for exhibition

b

: a collection of wild or foreign animals kept especially for exhibition

2

: a varied mixture

a menagerie of comedians

—TV Guide

A menagerie of grotesque statues stood in the garden.

Did you know?

Back in the days of Middle French, ménagerie meant "the management of a household or farm" or "a place where animals are tended." When English speakers adopted menagerie in the 1600s, they applied it specifically to places where wild and often also foreign animals were kept and trained for exhibition, as well as to the animals so kept. This second meaning was eventually generalized to refer to any varied mixture, especially one that includes things that are strange or foreign to one's experience.

Synonyms

• agglomerate
• agglomeration
• alphabet soup
• assortment
• botch
• clutter
• collage
• crazy quilt
• farrago
• gallimaufry
• grab bag
• gumbo
• hash
• hodgepodge
• hotchpotch
• jambalaya
• jumble
• jungle
• litter
• macédoine
• medley
• mélange
• miscellanea
• miscellany
• mishmash
• mixed bag
• montage
• motley
• muddle
• olio
• olla podrida
• omnium-gatherum
• pastiche
• patchwork
• patchwork quilt
• potpourri
• ragbag
• ragout
• rummage
• salad
• salmagundi
• scramble
• shuffle
• smorgasbord
• stew
• tumble
• variety
• welter

Examples of menagerie in a Sentence

a menagerie of rare creatures

the living room is eclectically furnished with a menagerie of garage-sale finds

Recent Examples on the Web

At their Australian home, the Hemsworth family also includes a veritable menagerie, as revealed in glimpses on The Drew Barrymore Show. —Jack Smart, Peoplemag, 24 Sep. 2024

And the second revealed the full menagerie of creatures that will appear in Season 2, including wraiths, wolves, ents and a giant cave troll. —Jordan Moreau, Variety, 26 July 2024

The master of scary cinematic menageries has a style all his own, and watching this soft-spoken, gray-bearded artist work magic with pencils, cameras, and clay is a true inspiration. —Debby Wolfinsohn, EW.com, 16 July 2024

Willem Dafoe is a hilarious standout in the film’s menagerie of madness. —Troy Aidan Sambajon, The Christian Science Monitor, 5 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

French ménagerie, from Middle French, management of a household or farm, from menage

First Known Use

1676, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

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Kids Definition

menagerie

noun

me·​nag·​er·​ie mə-ˈnaj-(ə-)rē 

 also  -ˈnazh-

1

: a place where animals are kept and trained especially for exhibition

2

: a collection of wild or foreign animals kept especially for exhibition