disparate

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

|Updated on: 12 Jun 2018

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Examples: disparate in a Sentence

Definition of disparate

1 : markedly distinct in quality or character

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

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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

See disparate defined for English-language learners

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disparate was our Word of the Day on 09/27/2017. Hear the podcast!

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

The lawsuit claims the Trump administration has singled out labor organizations for disparate treatment.

— washington post, BostonGlobe.com, "Federal employee union sues Trump administration over time restrictions on union activity," 31 May 2018
To make headway, the task needs to be assigned to an official with the clout to compel collaboration among disparate and often quarrelsome national security bureaucracies.

— Anchorage Daily News, "The Pentagon isn’t taking UFOs seriously enough," 16 Mar. 2018
Most of the songs feature vocal cameos, from folks as disparate as the sisters in Haim, Odd Future's Syd, and the team of Robin Pecknold (Fleet Foxes) and Rostam Batmanglij (Vampire Weekend).

— peter margasak, Chicago Reader, "Music / Post No Bills After a chilly breakup record, Dirty Projectors regain their bubbly ebullience on Lamp Lit Prose," 21 May 2018
When Congress enacted the Airline Deregulation Act in 1978, one of the primary purposes was to encourage expansion of the air transportation industry by exempting air carriers from overly burdensome and disparate regulations by the states.

— richard sherlock, STAT, "Placing more regulations on air medical services would be bad for patients," 1 May 2018
So what looks on paper like a tremendous built-in infrastructure for moving illicit products across borders is actually a disparate, federalized organization of substructures with highly local, even competing, interests.

— steven s. dudley, Houston Chronicle, "MS-13 is a street gang, not a drug cartel. Why it matters in the US?," 16 Apr. 2018
President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal could pile pressure on OPEC’s pact to limit production and upset the delicate balance among its disparate signatories, analysts say.

— georgi kantchev, WSJ, "Iranian Oil Squeeze Could Upset OPEC Agreement on Production Cuts," 11 May 2018
For me, however, preparing taxes has been a telescopic lens with which to observe the disparate economic realities present in our society.

— ron lieber, New York Times, "5 High Schoolers and Their College Application Essays About Work, Money and Social Class," 11 May 2018
But the vast differences between the two major parties have produced dramatically disparate policies.

— craig gilbert, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Minnesota outpaces Wisconsin, report says, in latest volley over liberal vs. conservative policies," 8 May 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.

Origin and Etymology of 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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1566

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

disparate Synonyms

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

adjective

Definition of disparate for English Language Learners

: different from each other

Medical Dictionary

disparate

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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disparately

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disparate was our Word of the Day on 09/27/2017. Hear the podcast!

Examples of disparate in a Sentence

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Origin and Etymology of disparate

disparate Synonyms

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DISPARATE Defined for English Language Learners

disparate

Definition of disparate for English Language Learners

Medical Dictionary

disparate

medical Definition of disparate

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