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Please, help me to understand the difference in meaning between "various" and "different".

Example sentence:

Various methods of inter-process communication are available in Windows.

Is it possible to build this sentence like:

Different methods of inter-process communication are available in Windows.

Is the second sentence correct? If yes, what would be the difference between the two?

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Two minor remarks. To me, "different methods" could be just two, while "various methods" sounds more broad, like "manifold" or "many different". Also, various is kind of self-contained, as in "different from one another", while different has a connotation of "another", "different from something else entirely", "different from something previously mentioned". That being said, "various" and "different" are being used interchangeably in many situations. – RegDwighт♦ Sep 30 '10 at 11:56

2 Answers

up vote 4 down vote accepted

They are synonyms. Similar to what RegDwight pointed out, there is usually a connotation of many with "various," whereas "different" often refers to distinctions between 2 things.

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I agree with Flotsam, the key here is that 'different' implies some distinction between the subjects. – kchau Sep 30 '10 at 15:16
They are synonymous in this meaning, but not in all their uses. – Colin Fine Oct 1 '10 at 15:37
up vote 2 down vote

For this usage, I think "various" is better, because "different" implies a comparison. Different from what?

For example: "OSX provides certain methods for inter-process communication, while different methods of inter-process communication are available in Windows."

"Different" is certainly used colloquially to mean "various," but I would avoid that in formal or technical contexts.

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thanks, helpful remark about colloquial nature of using "different" instead of "various" +1 – rem Oct 3 '10 at 15:26

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