plethora

noun

a plethora of opinion polls

Syn:

excess, overabundance, superabundance, surplus, glut, superfluity, surfeit, profusion; (a plethora of) , too many, too much, enough and to spare; informal more — — than one can shake a stick at

Ant:

dearth

••

plethora

According to the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) and most other dictionaries, this word refers (and has always referred) to an overabundance, an overfullness, or an excess. The phrase a plethora of is essentially a highfalutin equivalent of too many — e.g.: "Our electoral politics now is beset with a plethora of [read too many] players and a confusing clutter of messages." (Brookings Review; Jan. 1, 2002.) But sometimes, when not preceded by the indefinite article, the word is genuinely useful — e.g.: "Critics say the plethora of scrip circulating in Argentina risks running out of control." (Wall Street Journal; Dec. 26, 2001.)

Unfortunately, through misunderstanding of the word's true sense, many writers use it as if it were equivalent to plenty or many. This meaning is unrecorded in the OED and in most other dictionaries. And it represents an unfortunate degeneration of sense — e.g.:

• "Buffalo may seem like a boring city, but we’ve managed to produce a plethora [read plenty] of famous people, the Goo Goo Dolls, Ani Difranco, David Boreanaz and now, Chad Murray." (Buffalo News; Jan. 8, 2002.)

• "The old policies did not anticipate a plethora [read series or group or lot] of suicide bombers." (Orlando Sentinel; Jan. 10, 2002.) (One suicide bomber is too many — so plethora doesn't work.)

Phrases such as a whole plethora of are likewise ill-considered — e.g.: "Then, once you get to the airport ticket counter, there's a whole plethora [read a whole range or a wide variety] of biometric identifiers you could use to tie the background checks you’ve done to the individuals who present themselves at the ticket counter." (Boston Globe; Jan. 6, 2002.)

The word is pronounced /pleth-er-uh/, not /pluh-thor-uh/. — BG