“Myriad” or “A Myriad Of”? A Deep Dive

Dear Legal Writer, Is it “myriad” or “a myriad of”? I did a deep dive. Here’s my take, and don’t miss the 3 big caveats. ⤵️

🔷 DEFINITION:

The word “myriad” means “a countless number of specified things,” (Oxford English Dictionary), or “an uncountable number.”

🔷 GRAMMAR RULE:

Both “myriad” AND “a myriad of” are grammatically correct. That’s because you can use “myriad” as an adjective OR a noun.

✔️ Myriad options raced around her head. (“myriad” = adjective)

✔️ A myriad of options raced around her head. (“myriad” = noun)

🔴 3 BIG CAVEATS:

▪️ The AP stylebook prohibits “a myriad of.” AP contradicts almost all other sources, but if you must follow AP, definitely do not use “a myriad of.”

▪️ Many readers think “a myriad of” is wrong. It is THEY who are wrong, of course, but if you use “a myriad of,” you may face some strong pushback.

▪️ “A myriad of” is longer and wordier than “myriad.” So, all else being equal, sticking with “myriad” is better in legal writing, where brevity is key.

🔷 IN SUM:

WRONG: myriads

FINE: a myriad of

BETTER: myriad

💌 Amanda

#DearLegalWriter

P.S. The noun form, “a myriad of,” has been around in English since 1555—that’s 100 years earlier than the adjective form, “myriad,” came into use.
 
 —Bryan A. Garner, Garner’s Modern English Usage, 5th ed. at 729 (Oxford Univ. Press 2022).

P.P.S. “Myriad” derives from the Greek word for 10,000.

 —It means “an uncountable number,” or “with innumerable variety.” 👉 So if you’re only referring to a handful of things, “myriad” doesn’t work.

***

🗣️ Is “myriad” too pretentious in any form? Maybe we should use “countless” instead for simplicity’s sake?

TABOO: myriads
FINE: a myriad of
BETTER: myriad
BEST: countless ❓

What say you?