many

The word “many” means a large but unspecified number of (used with countable nouns). In plain terms, used before countable things to mean "a lot of" — as opposed to "much," which is used for uncountable things.

“Many” is pronounced MEH-nee (/ˈmɛni/ in IPA).

Here is “many” used in a sentence: “Many people showed up to the protest.”

Words with a similar meaning to “many” include a lot of.

The opposite of “many” — its antonyms — is few.

Depending on how it is used, “many” can be a det and a pronoun.

The word “many” comes from Old English. From Old English maniġ, ultimately from a Proto-Germanic root meaning "many" or "much" — related to similar words across most Germanic languages.

“Many” is a very common word in modern English, usually learned at around the A1 level.

'Many' is used with countable nouns, things you can number individually, like 'many books' or 'many people.' 'Much' is used with uncountable nouns, mass or abstract things you cannot count one by one, like 'much water' or 'much time.' Choosing between them depends on whether the noun is countable.

'Many people attended the concert' shows a large number of countable individuals. 'How many questions are there?' uses 'many' in a question, where it is especially natural. 'She has visited many countries' stresses a large but unspecified count. In each, the noun could be numbered one by one.

The usual opposite is 'few,' which also works with countable nouns, as in 'few people came.' For uncountable nouns, the equivalent contrast is 'little.' Words like 'none' or 'hardly any' express an even stronger opposite. So 'many guests' contrasts naturally with 'few guests' or 'no guests.'

'Many' and 'a lot of' both signal a large number, but 'many' feels more formal and is especially common in questions and negatives, as in 'Were there many people?' or 'not many.' 'A lot of' sounds more casual and is preferred in positive statements in everyday speech.