divergence

noun

di·​ver·​gence də-ˈvər-jən(t)s 

dī-

1

a

: a drawing apart (as of lines extending from a common center)

b

: difference, disagreement

c

evolutionary biology : the development of dissimilar traits or features (as of body structure or behavior) in closely related populations, species, or lineages of common ancestry that typically occupy dissimilar environments or ecological niches : divergent evolution

2

: a deviation from a course or standard

3

: the condition of being mathematically divergent

Synonyms of divergence

• divergency
• difference
• diversity

Examples of divergence in a Sentence

a growing divergence of opinion about that U.S. president's place in history

any divergence from the community's strict moral code was met with social ostracism

Recent Examples on the Web

The event continues to serve as an example of how enterprises evaluate cloud reliability and of the significant divergence between an organization’s expectations and the outcomes of an outage. — Srini Srinivasan, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026

At some point, though, the divergence between valuations and economic fundamentals becomes increasingly hard to ignore. — John Cassidy, New Yorker, 10 Aug. 2026

The moving average convergence divergence histogram has registered consecutive upticks, reflecting a notable loss of long-term downside momentum. — Katie Stockton, CNBC, 10 Aug. 2026

But the dramatic divergence of the new measurement from the detector’s own past results, along with the collaboration’s claim of high precision, made the situation hard to ignore. — Matt Von Hippel, Quanta Magazine, 29 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from New Latin dīvergentia, noun derivative of Latin dīvergent-, dīvergens divergent

First Known Use

1656, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for divergence

• convergence
• emergence
• resurgence
• submergence
• postemergence
• preemergence
• reemergence
• vergence

Kids Definition

divergence

noun

di·​ver·​gence də-ˈvər-jən(t)s 

dī-

: the state of diverging : a drawing apart (as of lines extending from a common center)

Medical Definition

divergence

noun

di·​ver·​gence də-ˈvər-jən(t)s, dī- 

1

a

: a drawing apart

b

: the acquisition of dissimilar characters by related organisms under the influence of unlike environments

2

: dissemination of the effect of activity of a single nerve cell through multiple synaptic connections compare convergence sense 4

diverge

-ˈvərj 

verb

diverged; diverging

divergent

-ˈvər-jənt 

adjective