homogeneous

adjective

ho·​mo·​ge·​neous ˌhō-mə-ˈjē-nē-əs How to pronounce homogeneous (audio)
-ˈjēn-yəs
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
homogeneously adverb
homogeneousness noun

Did you know?

Homogeneous comes from the Greek roots hom-, meaning "same," and genos, meaning "kind." The similar word homogenous is a synonym of the same origin.

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 on the Web Indigenous people aren't homogeneous and their lifestyles are often misrepresented in TV and film. Sophy Roberts, Condé Nast Traveler, 29 Feb. 2024 In a neighborhood filled with homogeneous Midcentury Modern residences, Brandon McBurney’s Palm Springs home stands out thanks to its 10-foot-tall lime green doors that face the street. Lisa Boone, Los Angeles Times, 5 Feb. 2024 The power of an intergenerational workforce Extensive research from the AARP found that teams composed of older and younger workers are more productive than homogeneous age groups. Alexa Mikhail, Fortune Well, 26 Jan. 2024 Gin, while defined by the flavor of juniper, is hardly homogeneous. Liza Weisstuch, New York Times, 29 Jan. 2024 The idea is to get a population of voters that’s a tad more diverse than Iowa, which is about as ethnically homogeneous as Finland. Gail Collins, The Mercury News, 21 Jan. 2024 The result is that our taste has gotten, as the Real Housewives suggested, only more homogeneous, more limited. Rachel Tashjian, Washington Post, 24 Aug. 2023 An actual separation seems to underly some of these differences, as members of the two parties tend to live in relatively homogeneous communities, cluster together on social media, and rely on completely different news sources. John Timmer, Ars Technica, 21 Aug. 2023 However, the drawback of a homogeneous workforce can be detrimental to business. Cyndy Trivella, Forbes, 5 May 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'homogeneous.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

1641, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of homogeneous was in 1641

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Dictionary Entries Near homogeneous

Cite this Entry

“Homogeneous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/homogeneous. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

homogeneous

adjective
ho·​mo·​ge·​neous ˌhō-mə-ˈjē-nē-əs How to pronounce homogeneous (audio)
-nyəs
1
: of the same or a similar kind or nature
2
: being the same throughout
a culturally homogenous neighborhood
homogeneity
-jə-ˈnē-ət-ē
noun
homogeneously
-ˈjē-nē-əs-lē
adverb

Medical Definition

homogeneous

adjective
ho·​mo·​ge·​neous -ˈjē-nē-əs, -nyəs How to pronounce homogeneous (audio)
: of uniform structure or composition throughout
homogeneously adverb
homogeneousness noun
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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