disparate
Americanadjective
adjective
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of disparate
First recorded in 1580–90; from Latin disparātus “separated,” past participle of disparāre “to separate,” from dis- dis- 1 + parāre “to make ready” ( see pare)
Explanation
The trunk of some people's cars may contain items as disparate as vintage records, a tangled garden hose, and possibly a stray hiking boot. Disparate things are very different from each other. Near synonyms for disparate are unequal and dissimilar. The adjective is derived from the Latin disparātus, from disparāre, meaning "to separate or divide," combining the prefix dis-, "apart," with parāre "to prepare." The word's modern sense of "distinct in kind" likely evolved through its association with the Latin adjective dispar, meaning "unequal" or "different."
Vocabulary lists containing disparate
300 Most Difficult "SAT" Words
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The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
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"A Quilt of a Country," Vocabulary from the argument
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
They are contracting with San Francisco nonprofit Recidiviz, whose computer systems bring together prisoner data from its disparate sources into digital dashboards.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 18, 2026
Its creators brought together disparate cultural elements to forge something original.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 15, 2026
“One thing to watch is whether Greg integrates the disparate housing related businesses into one division,” Seifert says.
From Barron's • Jun. 1, 2026
A rapturous feeling takes over the room, as if all of the disparate identities and backgrounds came together in spiritual tune — the cluster having finally come together.
From Los Angeles Times • May 18, 2026
What does this idea—say, the knotting of braids—have in common with that one in some other seemingly disparate area—say, the symmetries of some geometric figure?
From "Innumeracy: Mathematical Illiteracy and Its Consequences" by John Allen Paulos
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
