disparate

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adjective dis·pa·rate \ ˈdis-p(ə-)rət , di-ˈsper-ət , -ˈspa-rət \

Definition of disparate

1 :containing or made up of fundamentally different and often incongruous elements

2 :markedly distinct in quality or character

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disparately

adverb

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disparateness

noun

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disparity

play \di-ˈsper-ə-tē, -ˈspa-rə-\ noun

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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 of disparate from the Web

Certainly the wildly disparate reactions to Tina Fey’s sheet caking sketch underscore those internal and external debates.

— heidi stevens, chicagotribune.com, "'Go back to India' — Chicago CEO goes public with racist taunts he receives," 21 Aug. 2017
On Instagram, critics took to the comments to voice disparate opinions.

— alyssa hardy, Teen Vogue, "Bella Hadid's Vogue Arabia Cover Sparks Backlash," 15 Aug. 2017
Four seemingly disparate parties filed suit today for their right to free speech, i.e. advertising, on the Washington, D.C. metro system.

— vanityfair.com, "Inside Sheldon Adelson’s Effort to Purge McMaster," 10 Aug. 2017
All these disparate songs finally came together and made sense.

— chris varias enquirer contributor, Cincinnati.com, "R. Ring takes the songs seriously; the band, not so much," 3 Aug. 2017
There are multiple reasons for the disparate visibility between condoms and dental dams.

— suzannah weiss, Glamour, "The Disappearance of the Dental Dam Illustrates How We View Female Pleasure," 26 July 2017
Meanwhile, that the Mautes, Abu Sayyaf and two smaller groups were able together to seize a medium-sized city shows how IS ideology can unite disparate groups to devastating effect.

— The Economist, "Winning the war with IS in the Philippines, but losing the peace," 20 July 2017
The approach reflects an effort to build momentum behind Anwar and present a more unified front by an opposition made up of disparate parties that has struggled to gain ground against a coalition in power for 60 years.

— pooi koon chong, Bloomberg.com, "Deadly Enemies Becoming Allies in Bid to Oust Malaysia's Najib," 17 July 2017
The book is beautifully written, with a complex (if too-ambitious) plot embracing not only surrealism but also such disparate topics as designer drugs, alchemy, urban exploration and, of course, cults.

— adam woog, The Seattle Times, "Crime-fiction roundup: 3 new books map searches for lost treasure," 15 July 2017

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.

Origin and Etymology of disparate

Middle English desparat, from Latin disparatus, past participle of disparare to separate, from dis- + parare to prepare — more at pare

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First Known Use: 15th century

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disparate Synonyms

Synonyms

different, dissimilar, distant, distinct, distinctive, distinguishable, diverse, nonidentical, other, unalike, unlike

Antonyms

alike, identical, indistinguishable, kin, kindred, like, parallel, same, similar

Related Words

divers, miscellaneous, mixed, several, sundry, variant, varied, various; differentiable, discriminable; alternate, alternative, individual, particular, peculiar, single; disproportionate, divergent, unequal

Near Antonyms

equal, selfsame; equivalent, tantamount; akin, analogous, comparable, homological, homologous, related; homogeneous, homogenous, uniform

Synonym Discussion of 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

DISPARATE Defined for English Language Learners

disparate

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adjective

Definition of disparate for English Language Learners

: different from each other

Medical Dictionary

disparate

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adjective dis·pa·rate \ dis-ˈpar-ət , ˈdis-p(ə-)rət \

medical Definition of disparate

:indicating or stimulating dissimilar points on the retina of each eye

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DISPARATE Defined for English Language Learners

disparate

Definition of disparate for English Language Learners

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