divergent
adjective
Example Sentences
Erin Allday, San Francisco Chronicle, 4 May 2021 What’s happening in the body that can lead to such divergent reactions? Colleen De Bellefonds, SELF, 29 Aug. 2022 The first Alaska Native woman to both enter and finish the race, Albert tells of her parents’ divergent ways of coming to terms with American culture. David James, Anchorage Daily News, 28 Aug. 2022 There seems little doubt that the slaying of Ms. Dugina was in some manner fallout from the war, though there are several divergent theories over who planted the car bomb that killed her and why. Fred Weir, The Christian Science Monitor, 23 Aug. 2022 Since then, divergent accounts have emerged about what the two sides discussed and agreed to. Stephen Kalin, WSJ, 23 Aug. 2022 The two universities in the nation’s capital illustrate divergent strategies on public health as colleges head into the third fall term since the shocking pandemic upheavals of early 2020. Nick Anderson, Washington Post, 20 Aug. 2022 The attempt to interpret vastly divergent economic data is being made both on Wall Street and on Main Street. Arkansas Online, 6 Aug. 2022 The divergent fates of these two governors speak to a considerable difference between Democratic and Republican constituencies. Alex Shephard, The New Republic, 17 Feb. 2021 See More Word History
borrowed from Latin dīvergent-, dīvergens, present participle of dīvergere "to proceed in different directions, diverge"
1696, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Phrases Containing divergent
divergent
adjective
Synonyms & Similar Words
- different
- distinctive
- distinct
- diverse
- dissimilar
- disparate
- varied
- unequal
- various
- distinguishable
- disproportionate
- other
- contradictory
- mixed
- several
- distant
- variant
- unalike
- nonidentical
- unlike
- antithetical
- miscellaneous
- opposite
- sundry
- diametric
- diametrical
- polar
- divers
- alternative
- discriminable
- differentiable
- individual
- alternate
- contrary
- particular
- single
- peculiar
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- similar
- parallel
- same
- identical
- indistinguishable
- kindred
- like
- equal
- kin
- related
- analogous
- alike
- homologous
- equivalent
- comparable
- homogeneous
- selfsame
- homogenous
- tantamount
- uniform
- akin
- homological
Synonym Chooser
Some common synonyms of divergent are different, disparate, diverse, and various. While all these words mean "unlike in kind or character," divergent implies movement away from each other and unlikelihood of ultimate meeting or reconciliation.
While the synonyms different and divergent are close in meaning, different may imply little more than separateness but it may also imply contrast or contrariness.
The meanings of disparate and divergent largely overlap; however, disparate emphasizes incongruity or incompatibility.
The words diverse and divergent are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, diverse implies both distinctness and marked contrast.
The synonyms various and divergent are sometimes interchangeable, but various stresses the number of sorts or kinds.