assortative
adjective
as·sor·ta·tive
ə-ˈsȯr-tə-tiv 
: being nonrandom mating based on like or unlike characteristics
Examples of assortative in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
These assortative alliances will be fully voluntarist—to be joined and abandoned as one pleases.
—
Gideon Lewis-Kraus, The New Yorker, 21 Oct. 2024
But Scheidel points out that in postindustrial economies, elite schools disproportionately serve the children of privileged parents, and assortative mating—the tendency of people to marry their socioeconomic peers—magnifies the resulting inequalities.
—Timur Kuran, Foreign Affairs, 15 Aug. 2017
But cross-trait assortative mating challenges such inferences.
—Grace Huckins, WIRED, 12 Dec. 2022
Opposing forces influence assortative mating so that one seeks a similar mate while at the same time avoiding inbreeding with close relatives.
—Seriously Science, Discover Magazine, 24 July 2013
Model fits indicate that both pleiotropy and assortative mating contribute significantly and about equally to this genetic correlation.
—Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 11 Apr. 2013
Even taking assortative mating into account, that argument would still appear to hold water.
—Grace Huckins, WIRED, 12 Dec. 2022
What all this amounts to is, in essence, a supercharged version of an existing process known as assortative mating.
—The Economist, 9 Nov. 2019
Thus Facebook is remaking the old world that was governed by social ties, probably reducing any benefits that may have come with less assortative coupling through online dating.
—The Economist, 12 Sep. 2019
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Gideon Lewis-Kraus, The New Yorker, 21 Oct. 2024
But Scheidel points out that in postindustrial economies, elite schools disproportionately serve the children of privileged parents, and assortative mating—the tendency of people to marry their socioeconomic peers—magnifies the resulting inequalities.
—Timur Kuran, Foreign Affairs, 15 Aug. 2017
But cross-trait assortative mating challenges such inferences.
—Grace Huckins, WIRED, 12 Dec. 2022
Opposing forces influence assortative mating so that one seeks a similar mate while at the same time avoiding inbreeding with close relatives.
—Seriously Science, Discover Magazine, 24 July 2013
Model fits indicate that both pleiotropy and assortative mating contribute significantly and about equally to this genetic correlation.
—Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 11 Apr. 2013
Even taking assortative mating into account, that argument would still appear to hold water.
—Grace Huckins, WIRED, 12 Dec. 2022
What all this amounts to is, in essence, a supercharged version of an existing process known as assortative mating.
—The Economist, 9 Nov. 2019
Thus Facebook is remaking the old world that was governed by social ties, probably reducing any benefits that may have come with less assortative coupling through online dating.
—The Economist, 12 Sep. 2019
Cite this Entry
“Assortative.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/assortative. Accessed 22 May. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
assortative
adjective
as·sor·ta·tive
ə-ˈsȯrt-ət-iv
: being nonrandom mating based on like or unlike characteristics
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