miscellanea

plural noun

mis·​cel·​la·​nea ˌmi-sə-ˈlā-nē-ə 

-nyə

: a collection of miscellaneous (see miscellaneous sense 1) objects or writings

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
• menagerie
• 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 miscellanea in a Sentence

searching through the miscellanea in the archive, she came across the draft of an unpublished and previously unknown poem by the reclusive writer

Recent Examples on the Web

The miscellanea included twisted wood, yellowed newspaper clippings, a Russian verb finder and piles of paintings. —Alex Vadukul, New York Times, 26 Jan. 2024

In their place are crates of percussive miscellanea—shaker eggs, windchimes, bell-straps, mallet toys, knocker sticks, maraca things, jingle-janglers, finger cymbals. —Jonathan Rowe, SPIN, 7 Dec. 2023

Here, the tools and miscellanea of art-making are as much a part of the portrait as the subject’s unaffected grin or solid stance. —Johanna Fateman, The New Yorker, 10 Mar. 2023

As for respect, Renaud’s disregard for the truth of Monk’s experience is at least balanced by his emphasis on Monk’s playing, which is presented at length and without interruption by voice-overs or other audiovisual miscellanea. —Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 10 Mar. 2023

Delegate checking all bridal party miscellanea to your maid of honor. —Katie James Watkinson, Condé Nast Traveler, 14 Feb. 2023

The Vogelkop bowerbird prefers a mix of fruit, insect parts, leaves and miscellanea, as long as they are neatly arranged. —Ed Yong, Discover Magazine, 23 Apr. 2012

Nevertheless, four tons of documents and secondary copies of films, plus newsreels and miscellanea — old projectors meant for display and other, more necessary equipment used to repair current machines — were lost in the fire. —Ela Bittencourt, Vulture, 5 Aug. 2021

The lifelong home of 80-year-old Francisca Cano has become a warehouse of miscellanea. —Emilio Morenatti, ajc, 25 Dec. 2020

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Latin miscellānea "mixture of foods, hash," feminine singular or neuter plural of miscellāneus "mixed, miscellaneous"

First Known Use

1571, in the meaning defined above