homogeneous

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adjective ho·mo·ge·neous \ ˌhō-mə-ˈjē-nē-əs , -ˈjēn-yəs \

Definition of homogeneous

1 :of the same or a similar kind or nature

2 :of uniform structure or composition throughout

a culturally homogeneous neighborhood

3 :having the property that if each variable is replaced by a constant times that variable the constant can be factored out :having each term of the same degree if all variables are considered

a homogeneous equation

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homogeneously

adverb

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homogeneousness

noun

See homogeneous defined for English-language learners

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homogeneous was our Word of the Day on 12/31/2009. Hear the podcast!

Examples of homogeneous in a Sentence

In their natural state, mountains of this type are almost entirely covered by dense forest. The wooded landscape is very uniform, lacking in contrast, and any disturbance of the homogeneous green blanket is very obvious … —John Crowley, Focus on Geography, Winter 2007
One odd side effect is that, during the last 20 years, the formerly homogeneous, rather stodgy world of academic criticism has diversified into an incoherent mob of competing factions. —Walter Kendrick, New York Times Book Review, 24 Dec. 1995
The Benedictine convents for women, which had begun to be founded soon after Benedict's day, became particularly homogeneous in their social composition. The nuns of the ninth and tenth centuries were all high-born ladies, and it was almost impossible to be admitted to these convents without being a widowed or maiden relative of an important lord. —Norman F. Cantor, The Civilization of the Middle Ages, 1993
a fairly homogeneous collection of examples

Recent Examples of homogeneous from the Web

Democratic voters are far more likely to be found in dense and politically homogeneous urban areas.

— rick esenberg, National Review, "Define ‘Gerrymander’ Precisely: The Supreme Court Tackles the Impossible," 22 Aug. 2017
But on the other, that made for a pretty homogeneous Hollywood of smooth hair and barrel waves, without tons of aspirational curls, kinks, and coils to look up to.

— rachel nussbaum, Glamour, "13 Celebrities Who Gave Us Rare (Incredible) Glimpses at Their Curls," 11 Aug. 2017
There is a psychological concept that explains this phenomenon called the outgroup homogeneity effect, where majority group members see the uniqueness and individuality within their own group, but see minority group members as homogeneous.

— germine awad, Fortune, "How Disney Blew a Huge Opportunity While Casting Aladdin," 21 July 2017
The real work of integrating new arrivals into what was previously a fairly homogeneous, conservative society (cosmopolitan Berlin being the exception) falls on ordinary citizens, such as those gathered here today.

— kati marton, Vogue, "How Angela Merkel Became the Most Powerful Woman in the World," 18 July 2017
The white population declined by more than 350,000 in the 1950s alone; many of them headed to the suburbs, whose lure included bigger lawns, less crime, better schools and homogeneous neighborhoods.

— bill mcgraw, Detroit Free Press, "Before '67 riot, Detroit thought it could avoid civil unrest," 15 July 2017
The Republican Party has, over time, sorted itself into this sort of fairly homogeneous party.

— jack moore, GQ, "New Study Shows That Your Political Party Affects How You View Discrimination," 3 July 2017
But new research has found that children at diverse schools like West Hertel reap unique social and personal benefits that those at more homogeneous schools don’t.

— gretel kauffman, The Christian Science Monitor, "Why a good racial mix may also create a sense of comfort at school," 21 June 2017
On a state-by-state basis, places with the most homogeneous populations tend to be the most generous.

— alana semuels, The Atlantic, "States With Large Black Populations Are Stingier With Government Benefits," 6 June 2017

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

Did You Know?

The scientific theories of Jules Verne's bold French adventurer, Michel Ardan, might have been a bit flawed (it's more accurate to classify the solar system as "heterogenous" - that is, consisting of dissimilar ingredients or constituents), but his use of the English word homogeneous was perfectly correct. Homogeneous, which derives from the Greek roots homos, meaning "same," and genos, meaning "kind," has been used in English since the mid-1600s. The similar word homogenous (originally created for the science of genetics and used with the meaning "of, relating to, or derived from another individual of the same species") can also be a synonym of homogeneous. The words need not be used exclusively in scientific contexts - one can speak of, for example, "a homogenous/homogeneous community."

Origin and Etymology of homogeneous

Medieval Latin homogeneus, homogenus, from Greek homogenēs, from hom- + genos kind — more at kin

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First Known Use: 1641

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HOMOGENEOUS Defined for English Language Learners

homogeneous

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adjective

Definition of homogeneous for English Language Learners

: made up of the same kind of people or things

Medical Dictionary

homogeneous

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adjective ho·mo·ge·neous \ -ˈjē-nē-əs, -nyəs \

medical Definition of homogeneous

:of uniform structure or composition throughout

—

homogeneously

adverb

—

homogeneousness

noun

Learn More about homogeneous

Spanish Central: Translation of homogeneous Nglish: Translation of homogeneous for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of homogeneous for Arabic speakers

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homogeneous

Definition of homogeneous

homogeneously

homogeneousness

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homogeneous was our Word of the Day on 12/31/2009. Hear the podcast!

Examples of homogeneous in a Sentence

Recent Examples of homogeneous from the Web

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Origin and Etymology of homogeneous

HOMOGENEOUS Defined for English Language Learners

homogeneous

Definition of homogeneous for English Language Learners

Medical Dictionary

homogeneous

medical Definition of homogeneous

homogeneously

homogeneousness

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