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

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."

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 notes

In 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

homogeneous → heterogenous heterogeneity

Common pairings

heterogeneous mixture heterogeneous group highly heterogeneous heterogeneous population

Study it as flashcards or scroll it in Flow — saved to your collection.

Test yourself on “heterogeneous” A quick quiz — meaning, synonyms & usage →

Fill the Gap

Can you complete this real example?

The intake is a _____ group of school leavers, career changers and retirees.

Etymology

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

Origin: Greek

Synonyms

View more →

diverse varied mixed assorted disparate

Antonyms

homogeneous uniform consistent

Related Words

even different level various normal standard regular separate

Rhymes for heterogeneous

yous nous pious joyous heinous ominous curious anxious copious tenuous tedious spurious

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.

People Also Searched

even different level various normal standard regular separate