Meanings
plural menageries · alternative ménagerie
- A collection of live wild animals as an exhibition historically associated with the aristocracy and considered a precursor of modern zoos.
Synonyms: zoo
- The enclosure where they are kept.
In Sacramento a crazed woman opened the cages of a circus menagerie for fear the animals might starve to death, and had been mauled by a lioness.
1949, Bruce Kiskaddon, George R. Stewart, Earth AbidesSynonyms: zoo, zoological garden
- A diverse or miscellaneous group.
[Brigitte] Bardot, the stunning, desirable beauty who once stood for sexual freedom for women, spent the latter part of her life at her home near Saint Tropez with her husband and a menagerie of pets.
2025 December 28, Elizabeth Blair, “Brigitte Bardot, sex goddess of cinema, has died”, in NPRSynonyms: assortment, motley crew, hodgepodge, melange
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA collection of live wild animals as an exhibition historically associated with the aristocracy and considered a precursor of modern zoos.
nounThe enclosure where they are kept.
nounA diverse or miscellaneous group.
More synonyms by meaning
nounthe facility where wild animals are housed for exhibition
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Frenchménagerie
- Englishmenagerie
From French ménagerie, derived from ménager (“to keep house”), household. Housekeeping used to include taking care of domestic animals.
More words from French
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek θηριοτροφεῖον, ζωγρεῖον
- θηριοτροφεῖον (thēriotropheîon)collection of live wild animals on exhibition
- ζωγρεῖον (zōgreîon)collection of live wild animals on exhibition
Chinese Mandarin 動物園 /动物园
- 動物園 /动物园 (dòngwùyuán)collection of live wild animals on exhibition
Czech zvěřinec
- zvěřineccollection of live wild animals on exhibition
Finnish eläintarha, sekalainen joukko
- eläintarhacollection of live wild animals on exhibition
- sekalainen joukkodiverse or miscellaneous group
French ménagerie
- ménageriecollection of live wild animals on exhibition
German Menagerie
- Menageriecollection of live wild animals on exhibition
Greek θηριοτροφείο
- θηριοτροφείο (thiriotrofeío)collection of live wild animals on exhibition
Italian serraglio, recinto
- serragliocollection of live wild animals on exhibition
- recintocollection of live wild animals on exhibition
Latin vīvārium
- vīvāriumcollection of live wild animals on exhibition
Polish menażeria, zwierzyniec
- menażeriacollection of live wild animals on exhibition
- zwierzynieccollection of live wild animals on exhibition
- menażeriadiverse or miscellaneous group
Portuguese menagerie, viveiro
- menageriecollection of live wild animals on exhibition
- viveirocollection of live wild animals on exhibition
Romanian menajerie
- menajeriecollection of live wild animals on exhibition
Russian звери́нец, сброд
- звери́нец (zverínec)collection of live wild animals on exhibition
- сброд (sbrod)diverse or miscellaneous group
Spanish colección de fieras, casa de fieras
- colección de fierascollection of live wild animals on exhibition
- casa de fierasenclosure
Swedish menageri
- menagericollection of live wild animals on exhibition
Turkish aslanhane
- aslanhanecollection of live wild animals on exhibition
Ukrainian звіри́нець
- звіри́нець (zvirýnecʹ)collection of live wild animals on exhibition
Cite this entry
menagerie. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/menagerie
“menagerie.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/menagerie. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “menagerie,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/menagerie.
Source: menagerie on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.