convergent

adjective

con·​ver·​gent kən-ˈvər-jənt 

1

: tending to move toward one point or to approach each other : converging

convergent lines

a tropical cyclone characterized by convergent airflow

2

: exhibiting convergence in form, function, or development

… likenesses reflecting shared habits, such as the convergent aquatic adaptations of whales and fish.

—Harriet Ritvo

see also convergent evolution

3

a

of an improper integral : having a value that is a real number

b

: characterized by having the nth term or the sum of the first n terms approach a finite limit

a convergent sequence

a convergent series

Examples of convergent in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

While social traits appear to be convergent among different species here on Earth, there’s also no reason to think that something similar would not happen elsewhere in our great cosmic beyond, Bryson argues in her Reykjavik talk. —Bruce Dorminey, Forbes.com, 25 Aug. 2025

This area, which falls along the Kuril–Kamchatka Trench or Kuril Trench, is known as a convergent boundary. —USA Today, 30 July 2025

The convergent lady beetle, for whom aphids are its main food source, eats up to 50 a day.2 There are environmental and ethical considerations, too. —Erica Browne Grivas, Better Homes & Gardens, 4 July 2025

What remain enduringly relevant are the book’s insights into the nature of design innovation, which Jencks described as analogous to biological evolution, a constant flow of emergent, divergent, and convergent streams. —Glenn Adamson, Artforum, 1 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

see converge

First Known Use

1674, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing convergent

• convergent evolution

Rhymes for convergent

• detergent
• divergent
• emergent
• insurgent
• resurgent
• serjeant
• urgent

Kids Definition

convergent

adjective

con·​ver·​gent kən-ˈvər-jənt 

: tending to converge