several
Syllables: sev·er·alUK/ˈsɛv.(ə.)ɹəl/
More pronunciations (1)Fewer pronunciations
Australia/ˈsev.(ə.)ɹəl/
several adjective: separate, distinct; particular.
Adjective
several (comparative more several, superlative most several)
- Separate, distinct; particular.
- Here is the will, and under Caesar's seal.
To every Roman citizen he gives,
to every several man, seventy-five drachmas.1599 (first performance), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Iulius Cæsar”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward]... - He had a religion apart: a God severall unto himselfe, whom his subjects might no waies adore.1603, Michel de Montaigne, chapter 42, in John Florio, transl., The Essayes […], book I, London: […] Val[entine] Simmes for Edward Blount […], →OCLC
- Here is the will, and under Caesar's seal.
- A number of different; various.
- […]for several virtues
Have I lik'd several women; never any
With so full soul but some defect in her
Did quarrel with the noblest grace she ow'd,
And put it to the foil[…].1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tempest”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published... - habits and faculties, several, and to be distinguished1625, Francis [Bacon], “Of Simulation and Dissimulation”, in The Essayes […], 3rd edition, London: […] Iohn Haviland for Hanna Barret, →OCLC
- […]for several virtues
- Separable, capable of being treated separately.
Determiner
several
- Consisting of a number more than one (especially, more than two) but not very many.
- The firm turns over several million a month.
- Several cars were in the parking lot.
- Synonyms:
- a few, a couple of
Adverb
several (not comparable)
- By itself; severally.
- Every kind of thing is laid up several in barns or storehouses.1551, Thomas More, “(please specify the Internet Archive page)”, in Raphe Robynson [i.e., Ralph Robinson], transl., A Fruteful, and Pleasaunt Worke of the Best State of a Publyque Weale, and of the...
Noun
several (plural severals)
- An area of land in private ownership (as opposed to common land).
- Each particular taken singly; an item; a detail; an individual.
- An enclosed or separate place; enclosure.
- A woman's loose outer garment, capable of being worn as a shawl, or in other forms.
several meaning in Hindi, Urdu, Malayalam and Arabic
several in Hindi
- consisting of a number more than two, but not very many
- कई kaī
several in Urdu
- consisting of a number more than two, but not very many
- کئی kaī
several in Malayalam
- consisting of a number more than two, but not very many
- നിരവധി niravadhi
several in Arabic
- consisting of a number more than two, but not very many
- بَعْض baʕḍ, عِدَّة ʕidda
More languagesFewer languages
- several in Persian
- چند čand
- several in Thai
- หลาย lǎai
- several in Vietnamese
- dăm, vài
Examples of several in a sentence
- They had many journals. I subscribed to several.
- Several of the members were absent.
- So one thing may be good and bad to several parties, upon diverse occasions.1624, Democritus Junior [pseudonym; Robert Burton], chapter II, in The Anatomy of Melancholy: […], 2nd edition, Oxford, Oxfordshire: […]...
- Four several armies to the field are led.1675, John Dryden, Aureng-zebe: A Tragedy. […], London: […] T[homas] N[ewcomb] for Henry Herringman, […], published 1676, →OCLC, (please...
- Hence arose a dispute between the learned men, in which each delivered the reasons of their several opinions.1749, Henry Fielding, The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling, volume (please specify |volume=I to VI), London: A[ndrew] Millar, […], →OCLC:
- Their bases were on a level with the pavement outside, a narrow way which was several feet lower than the road behind the house.1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 14, in The China Governess: A Mystery, London: Chatto & Windus, →OCLC:
Synonyms of several
- a few
- a couple of
Antonyms
Forms of several
| Adjective | |
|---|---|
| comparative | more several |
| superlative | most several |
| alternative form | severall |
| Noun | |
| plural | severals |
Origin of several
From Anglo-Norman several, from Medieval Latin sēparālis, from Latin sēpar (“separate”). By surface analysis, sever + -al. Not related to severe or seven.
Words formed from several
Phrases with several
Questions about several
- What does several mean?
- Several means separate, distinct; particular.
- What is several in Hindi?
- Several in Hindi is कई (kaī). See Several meaning in Hindi.
- How do you use several in a sentence?
- They had many journals. I subscribed to several.
- What part of speech is several?
- Several can be an adjective, a determiner, an adverb or a noun.
- How do you pronounce several?
- Several is pronounced /ˈsɛv.(ə.)ɹəl/ (UK).
Words near several in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: several (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: en-us-several.ogg.
Cite this entry: “several.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/several. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.