menagerie: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
C2formal/literary
Quick answer
What does “menagerie” mean?
A collection of wild animals kept in captivity for exhibition.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
A collection of wild animals kept in captivity for exhibition.
A diverse or strange collection of people or things; a varied mixture.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant differences in meaning or usage. The word is used similarly in both varieties.
Connotations
Slightly old-fashioned or literary in both varieties, evoking 18th–19th century private zoos. The metaphorical extension is equally understood.
Frequency
Low frequency in both, but marginally more likely in UK literary contexts. The metaphorical sense is perhaps more frequent than the literal in modern usage.
Grammar
How to Use “menagerie” in a Sentence
[have/own] a menagerie [of + NP]The [NP] was a veritable menagerieVocabulary
Collocations
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Rare. Possibly metaphorical: 'The marketing department is a menagerie of conflicting personalities.'
Academic
Used in historical/literary studies re: early zoos or collections of curiosities.
Everyday
Rare in literal sense. Metaphorical: 'My son's bedroom is a menagerie of dirty clothes and sports gear.'
Technical
Not a technical term in zoology; historical term for pre-modern zoo.
Vocabulary
Synonyms of “menagerie”
Vocabulary
Antonyms of “menagerie”
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “menagerie”
- Misspelling as 'menagery' or 'manegerie'.
- Using it as a synonym for any simple 'group' without the connotation of diversity or wildness.
- Pronouncing /ˈmen.ə.dʒər.i/ (stress on first syllable).
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Essentially yes for the literal meaning, but it specifically refers to a historical private collection of animals, often for entertainment, not a modern conservation-focused public institution. Its metaphorical use is now more common.
Yes, this is a standard metaphorical extension. It describes a diverse, often chaotic, group of people, e.g., 'a menagerie of artists and intellectuals'.
A 'menagerie' implies a collection of living creatures (or metaphorically, lively/diverse entities), often with a sense of disorder or wild variety. A 'collection' is broader and more neutral.
It is a low-frequency word. The literal sense is rare outside historical contexts. The metaphorical sense is more likely to be encountered in writing (journalism, literature) than in everyday speech.
A collection of wild animals kept in captivity for exhibition.
Menagerie is usually formal/literary in register.
Menagerie: in British English it is pronounced /məˈnædʒ.ər.i/, and in American English it is pronounced /məˈnædʒ.ɚ.i/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think: MANAGE a scary, wild MENAGERIE. Sounds like 'manager' trying to control a chaotic animal collection.
Conceptual Metaphor
A GROUP OF DIVERSE ENTITIES IS A COLLECTION OF WILD ANIMALS.
Practice
Quiz
Which sentence uses 'menagerie' correctly in its extended, metaphorical sense?