“Myriad” vs. “a myriad of” vs. “plethora”

Dear Legal Writer,

Here’s everything you need to know:

🔸 To begin, “myriad” means “a countless number of specified things,” (Oxford English Dictionary), or “too many to count.”

—In this way, “myriad” parallels “plethora.” Both words denote EXCESS. Neither word should be used simply to mean “a lot of” or “many.”

—But in another way, the 2 words (myriad and plethora) are different.  “Myriad” has no gross, negative connotation the way “plethora” does. (See last week’s post about “plethora” for more info on that.)

➡️ So, say “a myriad of exciting options,” but “a plethora of thorny decisions.”

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🔷 BOTH “myriad” AND “a myriad of” are grammatically correct.

That’s because you can use “myriad” as an adjective OR a noun.

               ✔️ Myriad choices stressed her weary mind.

               —In this example, “myriad” is an adjective used correctly.

               ✔️ A myriad of choices stressed her weary mind.

               —Here, “myriad” is a noun used correctly.

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🔷 That said, I see 3 problems with “a myriad of”:

(1):  Many think it’s wrong.

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

Here’s a good retort: 

The noun form, “a myriad of,” has actually been around in English since 1555, and that’s a hundred years earlier than the appearance of the adjective form, “myriad,” came into use.

—Bryan A. Garner, Garner’s Modern English Usage, 5th ed. at 729 (Oxford Univ. Press 2022).

(2): The AP stylebook apparently says DO NOT use “a myriad of.” 

AP contradicts almost all other sources and is ostensibly wrong, but if you must follow AP, do not use “a myriad of.”

(3): “A myriad of” is wordy compared to “myriad.”

So, all else being equal, if you’re trying to maximize brevity—as we regularly do in legal writing—sticking with “myriad” is the better bet.

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🔷 Two final points:

1- “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.

2- Do not say “myriads.”  Although that was how the word originally came into English, it is not used today.

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Fondly,

💌 Amanda

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🌈💕 Special thanks to Jordana Confino, Jessica Caspe, and Jonathan Fennell for this post suggestion.