smorgasbord

noun

ˈsmȯr-gəs-ˌbȯrd How to pronounce smorgasbord (audio)
Definition of smorgasbordnext
as in variety
an unorganized collection or mixture of various things every day the director has to first deal with a smorgasbord of problems before he can begin filming

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of smorgasbord Here’s my Monday smorgasbord of notes, playing time nuggets, grades and more on offense. — Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 21 Sep. 2026 In the 1950s and 1960s, suburban malls were explicitly designed as community cornerstones, complete with bustling food courts, movie theaters, arcades, and a smorgasbord of shops. — Jessica Guynn, USA Today, 16 Sep. 2026 Although unrelated to my daughter’s birthday, the smorgasbord of sweets seemed ideally timed. — Sean Carlson, Travel + Leisure, 15 Sep. 2026 Mayflies are a lot bigger than the gnats and the other insects that participate in this nightly smorgasbord. — Bryan Hendricks, Arkansas Online, 6 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for smorgasbord
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smorgasbord
  1. variety
  2. assortment
  3. medley
  4. jumble
  5. collage
Noun
  • Locals claimed that drinking it was helpful for a variety of respiratory and digestive problems.
    — D. T. Max, New Yorker, 26 Oct. 2026
  • That includes cards such as the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (see rates and fees), which comes with a variety of excellent travel insurance benefits and the American Express® Gold Card, which is a rewarding option for dining and grocery purchases.
    — Jason Stauffer, CNBC, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of variety
Noun
  • Sake Sushi’s menu serves classic Japanese sashimi and Americanized sushi, including spicy salmon rolls, crunch roll and an assortment of baked, fried and cooked rolls.
    — Emma Hall, Sacbee.com, 29 Oct. 2026
  • Opening Thursday and live through early January, the shop will feature Ralph Lauren Purple Label and Ralph Lauren Collection alongside an assortment of luxury gifts.
    — Lisa Lockwood, Footwear News, 28 Oct. 2026
Definition of assortment
Noun
  • Waiters walked around the room serving bowls of pasta with a medley of sauces.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Oct. 2026
  • After an opening medley that spans New Orleans jazz and bounce, the record’s signposts grow increasingly fuzzy.
    — Stephen Kearse, Pitchfork, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of medley
Noun
  • Arches and natural bridges sweep like buttresses from jumbles of rock, giving this landscape a mystical, cathedral-like quality.
    — Madison Chapman, Outside, 25 Mar. 2026
  • Macaroons are chewy jumbles of coconut bound together with egg whites and sweetened condensed milk.
    — Lynda Balslev, Mercury News, 10 Feb. 2026
Definition of jumble
Noun
  • Pollard has also been immersed in surrealism and dada, fitting genres for a musician and visual artist who has a knack for bending words and images to his will — either via hallucinatory lyrics or collages that mesh realms both physical and meta.
    — Brenna Ehrlich, Rolling Stone, 28 Oct. 2026
  • His new album-length EP, cantu of the sower, merges these musical tabs into a collage of collages.
    — Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of collage

Browse Nearby Words

smoothy
smorgasbord
smorgasbords
See all Nearby Words

Podcast

Theme music by Joshua Stamper ©2006 New Jerusalem Music/ASCAP

Cite this Entry

“Smorgasbord.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smorgasbord. Accessed 30 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on smorgasbord

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about smorgasbord

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of reticent

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Pwn, Skibidi, Girlboss and Other Words Added to the 2026 Scrabble Dictionary

The Words of the Week - Oct. 30

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All