Definition of DISPARITY

Other Words from disparate

disparately adverb

disparateness noun

disparity \ di-ˈsper-ə-tē

, -ˈspa-rə- \ noun

Choose the Right Synonym for disparate

different, diverse, divergent, disparate, various mean unlike in kind or character. different may imply little more than separateness but it may also imply contrast or contrariness. different foods diverse implies both distinctness and marked contrast. such diverse interests as dancing and football divergent implies movement away from each other and unlikelihood of ultimate meeting or reconciliation. went on to pursue divergent careers disparate emphasizes incongruity or incompatibility. disparate notions of freedom various stresses the number of sorts or kinds. tried various methods

Examples of disparate in a Sentence

First during the nineteen-seventies, but with increasing momentum during the eighties, a loose community of physics researchers had begun to postulate that the disparate small particles that we learned about in high-school science class—electrons, for instance—were actually the varied vibrations of tiny open and closed looped strings. — Benjamin Wallace-Wells, New Yorker, 21 July 2008 The American border with Mexico is among the most economically disparate intersections in the world, but the cities on either side of the port looked almost identical—a spread of humble brick and cinder-block homes dotting a blanket of brown hills. — Cecilia Balli, Harper's, October 2006 I made the French lemon cream tart that Greenspan credits to Hermé and got disparate reactions. An American friend loved its creaminess and felt it had a comfortingly familiar texture; a British friend … said he missed the traditional sharp, gel-like custard. — Tamasin Day-Lewis, Saveur, November 2006 Like these imagined cities, identical twins are identical only in their blueprints. By the time they are born, they are already disparate in countless neurological and physiological ways that mostly we cannot see. — Frank J. Sulloway, New York Review, 30 Nov. 2006 The plan, as near as anybody outside Yahoo can make out, is to stitch all those disparate organizations into one huge Frankenstein's monster of a search engine that will strike terror into the hearts of all who behold it. — Lev Grossman, Time, 22 Dec. 2003 disparate notions among adults and adolescents about when middle age begins

Recent Examples on the Web

That will be hard, because many of the items on the government’s to-do list are disparate, reflecting the polarized state of the French public. — Noemie Bisserbe, WSJ, "French Press for Tax Cuts as Macron Pressured to Deliver Change," 8 Apr. 2019 Aided by bellowing online commentators pushing their own agenda and warped worldview, people put together disparate pieces of information into semi-plausible stories. — Andrew Liptak, The Verge, "Paul Tremblay’s apocalyptic novel The Cabin at the End of the World is a parents’ worst nightmare," 30 June 2018 This is the essential Pixar movie: It’s made up of a lot of disparate pieces that shouldn’t fit together, except for their emotion. — Kelly Lawler, USA TODAY, "The definitive ranking of all 20 Pixar movies (including 'Incredibles 2')," 13 June 2018 What’s more, these stylistically disparate pieces will be joined together to form what COT, in its final presentation of the season, is touting as a cohesive theatrical production. — John Von Rhein, chicagotribune.com, "How a double bill of Donizetti rarities wound up at Chicago Opera Theater," 10 Apr. 2018 Getty ImagesRich Fury Ryan Murphy's genius has crafted, cultivated, and produced the most disparate TV series: American Crime Story, Glee, and seven seasons of American Horror Story. — Zoe Harris, Marie Claire, "The 'American Horror Story: Apocalypse' Trailer Is Finally Here and Creepy as Hell," 6 Aug. 2018 The agreement is a sort of one-stop-shop to bring together existing, and disparate U.N. agreements that touch on migration. — Jamey Keaten, The Seattle Times, "Unfinished business: UN migrant pact inked, but foes remain," 11 Dec. 2018 The disparate death tolls could not be immediately reconciled. — Washington Post, "Afghan officials: Taliban kill at least 15 troops, 4 police," 12 July 2018 The result is a movie that somehow blends these disparate genres as effortlessly as Anna eventually socks off zombie skulls. — Sam Machkovech And Nathan Mattise, Ars Technica, "Films for the discerning nerd: Ars picks the best of 2018," 27 Dec. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'disparate.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

History and Etymology for disparate

borrowed from Latin disparātus "separate, distinct," from past participle of disparāre "to divide, separate off, make different," from dis- dis- + parāre "to supply, provide, make ready" (influenced in sense by association with dispar-, dispār "unequal, different") — more at pare

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