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
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These assortative alliances will be fully voluntarist—to be joined and abandoned as one pleases.
—
Gideon Lewis-Kraus, The New Yorker, 21 Oct. 2024
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
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
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
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Gideon Lewis-Kraus, The New Yorker, 21 Oct. 2024
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
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
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
Cite this Entry
“Assortative.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/assortative. Accessed 16 Sep. 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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