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

And like his Australian predecessor, running around in a tunic and attacking everything from ginormous human opponents to a killer menagerie (baboons, rhinos, and sharks, oh my!) suits him. —David Fear, Rolling Stone, 22 Nov. 2024

But not every sculpture has an obvious literary source, and once again, the garden’s menagerie of monsters defies logic. —Lanta Davis and Vince Reighard, Smithsonian Magazine, 25 Oct. 2024

All work with a menagerie of proteins and amino acids to soften hair, give it a glassy effect and eliminate flyaways without greasiness. —Devon Abelman, Allure, 2 Oct. 2024

With every season that paleontologists return to the world’s Mesozoic rocks, the menagerie of feathery dinosaurs is only set to grow. —Riley Black, Smithsonian Magazine, 20 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