disparate
adjective
dis·pa·rate
ˈdi-sp(ə-)rət 
di-ˈsper-ət,
-ˈspa-rət
1
: markedly distinct in quality or character
2
: containing or made up of fundamentally different and often incongruous elements
disparately
adverb
disparateness
noun
Did you know?
If you enjoy sorting different objects into separate categories, you're well prepared to understand the origins of disparate. The word, which first appeared in English in the 16th century, comes from the Latin verb disparāre, meaning "to divide, separate off, make different." Disparāre, in turn, comes from parāre, a verb meaning "to supply, provide, make ready or prepare." Other descendants of parāre in English include both separate and prepare, as well as repair, apparatus, and even the pugnacious vituperate ("to criticize harshly and usually publicly").
Synonyms
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
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 on the Web
In 1949, the company rolled out a new venture to systematize the disparate European operations, creating units in different countries that were wholly owned by a new entity known as the Word Trade Corporation.
—Livia Gershon, JSTOR Daily, 21 Nov. 2024
At the same time, however, Trump also practices a transactional view of foreign policy, demonstrating a willingness during his first term to link disparate issues to secure economic concessions.
—Daniel W. Drezner, Foreign Affairs, 12 Nov. 2024
Now, though, dancing has evolved from pure entertainment to an attention-holding tactic as a viewer watches a video about a completely disparate and often weighty topic, like the presidential election.
—Sapna Maheshwari, New York Times, 22 Oct. 2024
Israel has recently revived military operations in the northern Gaza Strip aimed at rooting out the disparate Hamas fighters looking to regroup.
—Laura Kelly, The Hill, 5 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for disparate 
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Livia Gershon, JSTOR Daily, 21 Nov. 2024
At the same time, however, Trump also practices a transactional view of foreign policy, demonstrating a willingness during his first term to link disparate issues to secure economic concessions.
—Daniel W. Drezner, Foreign Affairs, 12 Nov. 2024
Now, though, dancing has evolved from pure entertainment to an attention-holding tactic as a viewer watches a video about a completely disparate and often weighty topic, like the presidential election.
—Sapna Maheshwari, New York Times, 22 Oct. 2024
Israel has recently revived military operations in the northern Gaza Strip aimed at rooting out the disparate Hamas fighters looking to regroup.
—Laura Kelly, The Hill, 5 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for disparate
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Cite this Entry
“Disparate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/disparate. Accessed 30 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
disparate
adjective
dis·pa·rate
dis-ˈpar-ət
ˈdis-p(ə-)rət
ˈdis-p(ə-)rət
: indicating or stimulating dissimilar points on the retina of each eye
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