How to Use variously in a Sentence

variously

adverb
  • He has been variously described as a hero and a villain.
  • The term is spelled variously in different places.
  • The concept of freedom has been variously understood by different people.
  • The rest of the cast variously head-banged, partner-danced and froze in awe.
    — Theater Critic, San Francisco Chronicle, 14 Nov. 2025
  • None of these variously amusing strands amounts to much, but then, things not amounting to much is sort of the point.
    — Jessica Kiang, Variety, 11 Feb. 2022
  • The tailgate can be variously used as a stand-up desk, bar, or stairway into the bed.
    — Dallas News, 18 Sep. 2021
  • There were conflicting orders shouted at her by agents to variously get out of the car or move.
    — Sal Rodriguez, Oc Register, 12 Jan. 2026
  • The concrete is variously scored, gouged, wavy, and polished.
    — Justin Davidson, Curbed, 23 Sep. 2021
  • Jack is variously described and self-described as a ne’er-do-well, a reprobate, a black sheep and a scoundrel.
    — Sam Sacks, WSJ, 25 Sep. 2020
  • Lights placed variously in the floor, on the wall posts and overhead combine to highlight the best features of guests and decor.
    — Valli Herman, latimes.com, 10 Mar. 2018
  • The statue has been variously dated from the end of the first to the beginning of the third centuries.
    — Francesco Sportelli, BostonGlobe.com, 13 May 2023
  • Mitchell’s music variously evokes gospel, blues, working songs and the ravings of a rabid cult.
    — Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 11 May 2026
  • The birds have white and black plumage, and a beak that’s variously described as being orangish-pink and reddish-orange.
    — Gary Robbins, sandiegouniontribune.com, 18 Dec. 2017
  • The spot variously served as a jogging track and a place for yoga and meditation.
    — Ruth Sherlock, NPR, 8 Oct. 2025
  • Yes, childhood was a time of variously disgusting smells, starting but by no means ending with those of school food.
    — James Wood, New Yorker, 14 July 2025
  • This slim book on the legacies of colonialism has been described variously as a jeremiad and a mock travel guide.
    — Bo Seo, The Atlantic, 1 June 2022
  • Mr Corbyn was variously portrayed as a pantomime villain and a threat to the nation.
    — The Economist, 7 Oct. 2017
  • Above the podium, a bundle of metal tubes, variously ridged, rounded, squared off, streamlined, and half-piped, shoot up along the façade.
    — Justin Davidson, Curbed, 3 Aug. 2023
  • Beat switches are common, samples get sourced from anywhere, and the rapping is variously smooth, abrasive, and stoned.
    — Stephen Kearse, TIME, 8 Dec. 2024
  • This gives the space a narrow central passage with shelves of different depths and widths obtruding variously all the way to the back of the unit.
    — Rafil Kroll-Zaidi, Harper's Magazine, 15 Sep. 2020
  • The killings were variously blamed on Mafia vendettas, black vigilantes, a bootleggers war and the drug trade.
    — William Thornton, AL.com, 4 Apr. 2018
  • Wall panels and wardrobe doors opened to reveal, variously, a garden, a snowdrift, and a deer carcass hanging on a gambrel.
    — Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 29 July 2024
  • As with Harvey’s best songs, the poems were variously dirty, bloody, bawdy, and moving, depending on the theme.
    — Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 8 Nov. 2023
  • The saying, variously attributed, is that the only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.
    — Bob Ford, Philly.com, 7 July 2017
  • Brave protesters are now variously squaring off against police in the streets and holding up blank sheets of paper as a signal of their dissent.
    — The Editors, National Review, 29 Nov. 2022
  • This was competitors at each other’s throats – sure, literally so is a bit much – and variously penalized for it.
    — Brian Hamilton, New York Times, 2 July 2026
  • With the valve opened and the stream lighted the oil is thrown forward in burning globules to a distance variously estimated at from ten to thirty yards.
    — Popular Mechanics Editors, Popular Mechanics, 30 Sep. 2020
  • These spell his name variously as Shaxberd, Shaxpere, Shakespear, and Shake-speare.
    — Gitanjali Roy, Encyclopedia Britannica, 23 Apr. 2026
  • Fans must purchase a concession voucher (variously priced by theater) to guarantee a seat.
    — G. Allen Johnson, San Francisco Chronicle, 2 Dec. 2025
  • The volatile Philippine president has variously been hard line and soft on the guerrillas, but his most recent threats have been ruthless.
    — Washington Post, 21 Feb. 2018

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'variously.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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