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several

several

167 1.0
Separate for each person or thing
  • adjective
  • /ˈsɛvərəl/
translation icon : individual
  • Students from Schools C and D were interviewed individually by one of several trained interviewers.
  • joint and several
  • several liability
  • strict, joint and several

Examples

  • But I just sort of found myself in several different contexts.

  • At one firm where Lee applied, a female associate conducted one of several separate interviews with him.

    Academic text (1999)
  • But what we did, we had several principles.

  • When you start to get very concentrated, several things happen.

  • Julie took me there for my birthday several years ago.

  • People seemed not to know that a labor camp was only several hundred yards away from their community.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • I mean, it's like I'm often working on several scripts simultaneously.

  • I recognize several kinds of vegetation that only grow in that locality.

  • Teachers, students, and administrators all function within several separate but overlapping and interrelated systems.

    Academic text (1990)
  • She discussed her ideas with several colleagues before making a decision.

Synonyms

each
vsseveral
1.0

Every person or thing in a group seen as separate

is used to mark separate consideration of items rather than individual identification
particular
vsseveral
3.2

Specific and not general

is about viewing multiple items each as separate rather than naming one specific
individual
vsseveral
847 3.0

Relating to one person rather than to a group, or showing a person's own style

covers multiple items seen as separate individuals rather than a single unit
individually
vsseveral
136 2.5

Happening one at a time and not with others

focuses on noting items as separate members rather than describing the process
respective
vsseveral
104 5.3

Relating to each person or thing separately

is the plain statement that items are considered separately rather than linked
various
vsseveral
60 1.0

Referring to each one in a group separately

emphasizes separate consideration of items rather than variety among them
apiece
vsseveral
27 2.9

For each person or thing separately

expresses the idea of separate consideration rather than exact distribution
to each one
vsseveral
7 1.0

For each person or thing separately

is broader, marking items as separate rather than signalling allocation
on an individual basis
vsseveral
  • Formal
7 4.4

Separately for each person or case

is a shorter expression for noting separate status without procedural emphasis
severally
vsseveral
1 8.2

Each person or thing on its own, not as a group

is the general way to say items are considered separately not collectively
divers
vsseveral
  • Archaic
8.4

Several different kinds of people or things

marks items as separate individuals rather than focusing on their difference

Antonyms

1.0

With other people to do something as a group

240 3.9

Shared by all members of a group acting together

Compounds

Having several seeds inside a fruit or pod

How Separate

individual
847 3.0
separate
829 2.1
several
167 1.0
collective
240 3.9

Surface Forms

several positive

Etymology

Several comes from an old Latin word separare meaning 'to separate', and it shares the same root as separate. So several keeps the idea of being 'separate' or 'individual', which is why we use it when things are considered one by one.