heterogeneous

6 synonyms and 3 antonyms for heterogeneous, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.

Adjective — Made up of parts that are different in kind or quality; varied rather than uniform.

Synonyms

Everyday swaps

Common words most readers know — safe in any writing.

diverse mixed

Less common

Still standard English, but they carry more weight.

varied assorted

Rare, literary or technical

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

disparate heterogenous

Synonyms by Meaning

1. adjective

Made up of parts that are different in kind or quality; varied rather than uniform.

“The intake is a heterogeneous group of school leavers, career changers and retirees.”

diverse varied mixed assorted disparate heterogenous

Opposites

homogeneous uniform consistent

2. adjective technical

Of a mixture or reaction, involving more than one physical phase, so that the components remain visibly distinct.

“Sand in water is a heterogeneous mixture; you can see and separate the two.”

Opposites

homogeneous

How to use heterogeneous

The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.

heterogeneous mixture heterogeneous group highly heterogeneous heterogeneous population

Formal and technical; common in science, statistics and social research.

Etymology

From Greek heteros 'other, different' and genos 'kind, race'.

Full origin of heterogeneous →

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between heterogeneous and homogeneous?

Heterogeneous means the parts are of different kinds and can often be told apart; homogeneous means they are all alike and evenly distributed. Fruit salad is heterogeneous, milk is homogeneous.

How do you pronounce heterogeneous?

het-uh-roh-JEE-nee-uhs, with five syllables after the het- and stress on the JEE. The commonly heard four-syllable het-uh-ROJ-uh-nuhs belongs to the different word heterogenous.

What is the difference between heterogeneous and heterogenous?

They are separate words. Heterogeneous, with the extra e, means varied in composition and is the one nearly everyone wants. Heterogenous is a technical term in biology for something originating outside the body, and it is often simply a typo.

People also searched

mixed consistent uniform diverse varied assorted homogeneous disparate

Nearby words

← Back to the full definition of heterogeneous