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What is the difference between amidst and among?

amidst | among |

Among is a synonym of amidst.



As prepositions the difference between amidst and among

is that amidst is in the midst or middle of; surrounded or encompassed by; among while among is denotes a mingling or intermixing with distinct or separable objects. (See Usage Note at amidst.

amidst

English

Alternative forms

* amidest (obsolete) * amiddst (qualifier) * amiddest (obsolete) * amydst (obsolete) * amyddst (qualifier) * amyddest (qualifier)

Preposition

(English prepositions)
  • In the midst or middle of; surrounded or encompassed by; among.
  • * 1748 . David Hume. Enquiries Concerning the Human Understanding and Concerning the Principles of Morals. London: Oxford University Press, 1973. § 4.
  • Be a philosopher ; but amidst all your philosophy, be still a man.
  • * 1912 , (Edgar Rice Burroughs), (Tarzan of the Apes), Chapter 5
  • Not so, however, with Tarzan, the man-child. His life amidst the dangers of the jungle had taught him to meet emergencies with self-confidence, and his higher intelligence resulted in a quickness of mental action far beyond the powers of the apes.

    Synonyms

    * amid * among * amongst

    Usage notes

    As with other words with excrescent suffix , amidst is generally considered synonymous with simpler amid, and amid is preferred by style guides on both sides of the Atlantic. TimesOnline], [http://www.guardian.co.uk/styleguide/w The Guardian] and [http://www.hansard.ca/styleguide.pdf Hansard (Canadian parliament) Further, amidst /amid'' are similar in meaning to – but distinct from – ''amongst''/''among''. ''Amid]](st)'' denotes that something is "in the midst of", "surrounded by" other things, and is used when the idea of separate things is not prominent. ''[[among, Among(st)'' denotes that something is mingling with other separable things ("blessed art thou among women").

    References

    Anagrams

    *

    among

    English

    Alternative forms

    * amonge (archaic) * amoung (obsolete)

    Preposition

    (English prepositions)
  • Denotes a mingling or intermixing with distinct or separable objects. (See Usage Note at amidst)
  • Denotes a belonging of a person or a thing to a group.
  • * {{quote-magazine, date=2013-08-10, volume=408, issue=8848, magazine=(The Economist)
  • , title= Can China clean up fast enough? , passage=All this has led to an explosion of protest across China, including among a middle class that has discovered nimbyism.}}
  • Denotes a sharing of a common feature in a group.
  • *
  • Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to set forth in order a declaration of those things which are most surely believed among us […]

    Usage notes

    * For the comparison of among'' with ''between'', see the usage notes in ''between . * Due to a belief that "amongst" is an archaic/Commonwealth variant, many Americans use "among" exclusively.

    Synonyms

    * amongst (variant of among) * amidst * amid

    See also

    * between

    Statistics

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    Anagrams

    *