Plethora Doesn’t Mean “A Lot”
Q: Can you use “plethora” to mean “a lot,” as in, I own a plethora of baseball hats? A: The misuse of “plethora” is a pet peeve of mine. The…
Q: Can you use "plethora" to mean "a lot," as in, I own a plethora of baseball hats?
A: The misuse of "plethora" is a pet peeve of mine. The word "plethora" doesn't mean "a lot," it means "too many or an overabundance." In the example, Many voters feel that there are a plethora of laws that are useless, it shows that some voters believe there are too many useless laws. And, if you say you own a plethora of baseball hats, you’re not saying you have a lot—you’re saying you believe you have too many for your own good and it's time to get rid of a few.
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Brian A. KlemsAuthor
Brian A. Klems is the former Senior Online Editor of Writer’s Digest, and author of Oh Boy, You’re Having a Girl (Adams Media/Simon & Schuster). Follow him on Twitter @BrianKlems.
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