adjective
heterogeneous
het-uh-roh-JEE-nee-uhs
Heterogeneous (adjective) means Made up of parts that are different in kind or quality; varied rather than uniform. Example: “The intake is a heterogeneous group of school leavers, career changers and retirees.”
adjective
1
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."
"Results across a heterogeneous set of studies are hard to pool."
2
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."
How to use heterogeneous
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishMade of different sorts of things mixed together.
When to use it
Formal and technical; common in science, statistics and social research.
Memory tip
Remember the -geneous ending by its noun heterogeneity; both keep the e.
Trace the full origin ↓
Easily confused with
Common pairings
heterogeneous mixture
heterogeneous group
highly heterogeneous
heterogeneous population
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The intake is a _____ group of school leavers, career changers and retirees.
Etymology
From Greek heteros 'other, different' and genos 'kind, race'.
Synonyms
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Related words
Rhymes for heterogeneous
See all rhymes for 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.
What is the meaning of heterogeneous?
"heterogeneous" (adjective) means made up of parts that are different in kind or quality; varied rather than uniform.
