diversification

8 synonyms and 2 antonyms for diversification, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.

Noun — The practice of spreading money across a number of different investments, industries, asset types or countries, so that the fortunes of the whole holding depend less on any single one of them.

Synonyms

Everyday swaps

Common words most readers know — safe in any writing.

variety expansion

Rare, literary or technical

Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.

spreading risk asset allocation risk spreading variegation branching out broadening

Synonyms by Meaning

1. noun finance

The practice of spreading money across a number of different investments, industries, asset types or countries, so that the fortunes of the whole holding depend less on any single one of them.

“The portfolio has almost no diversification: nine of its ten holdings are technology shares.”

spreading risk asset allocation risk spreading variety variegation

Opposites

concentration

2. noun business

More generally, the act of expanding into new products, markets or activities rather than relying on one.

“Diversification into ready meals kept the bakery going through a poor summer.”

expansion branching out broadening

Opposites

specialisation

How to use diversification

The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.

portfolio diversification geographic diversification lack of diversification diversification benefits

Standard in finance and business writing; the everyday equivalent is the proverb about not putting all your eggs in one basket.

Etymology

From diversify, from Latin diversus meaning turned different ways, plus the noun ending -ation.

Full origin of diversification →

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between diversification and asset allocation?

Asset allocation is the decision about how much goes into each broad category — shares, bonds, cash, property. Diversification is about spreading holdings within and across those categories so that no single company, sector or region dominates. The two overlap, and asset allocation is one of the ways diversification is achieved.

Does diversification remove risk?

No. It reduces exposure to events affecting one company or sector, but it cannot remove risks that move whole markets at once, such as a broad downturn. That market-wide element is sometimes called systematic risk, and it remains however widely holdings are spread.

Can a portfolio be too diversified?

Some argue it can. Beyond a certain point, adding more holdings does little to reduce the effect of any one of them, while adding cost and complexity. This is sometimes described with the coined term diworsification.

People also searched

variety expansion concentration broadening specialisation

Nearby words

← Back to the full definition of diversification