heterogeneous

adjective

het·​ero·​ge·​neous ˌhe-tə-rə-ˈjē-nē-əs 

ˌhe-trə-,

-nyəs

: consisting of dissimilar or diverse ingredients or constituents : mixed

an ethnically heterogeneous population

heterogeneously adverb

heterogeneousness noun

Synonyms

• assorted
• eclectic
• indiscriminate
• kitchen-sink
• magpie
• miscellaneous
• mixed
• motley
• patchwork
• piebald
• promiscuous
• raggle-taggle
• ragtag
• varied

Examples of heterogeneous in a Sentence

the seating in the hall was a heterogeneous collection of old school desk chairs, wood and metal folding chairs, and even a few plush theater seats

Recent Examples on the Web

At the country’s founding, most political observers believed that India was too heterogeneous and unwieldy to hold together. —Vaibhav Vats, The Atlantic, 3 Feb. 2024

Additionally, the studies used potentially heterogeneous populations, which would make drawing general conclusions difficult. —Maggie O'Neill, Health, 10 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Medieval Latin heterogeneus, from Greek heterogenēs, from heter- + genos kind — more at kin

First Known Use

1630, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

heterogeneous

adjective

het·​er·​o·​ge·​neous

ˌhet-ə-rə-ˈjē-nē-əs,

-nyəs

: differing in kind : consisting of dissimilar parts : mixed

a heterogeneous population

heterogeneously adverb

heterogeneousness noun

Medical Definition

heterogeneous

adjective

het·​ero·​ge·​neous ˌhet-ə-rə-ˈjē-nē-əs, ˌhe-trə-, -nyəs 

: not uniform in structure or composition

tumors which have a heterogeneous composition by reason of structure and presence of necrosis

—Year Book of Endocrinology

heterogeneously adverb