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.
Rove said Texas is a Republican state, but that the disparate fundraising dynamics have made the race unusual.
From Salon ● Aug. 22, 2026
Cobbled together in the early 1900s through a roll-up of disparate car companies, GM at its height controlled more than half of the U.S. market.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
The plates continue to spin at Ibrox as McInnes attempts to put order on all of this, to forge a coherent team from all the disparate parts.
From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026
The disparate treatment created conflict between the siblings who don’t speak.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 29, 2026
The New York Times said: G. M. Pennington faced a daunting task in tying together the dozens of disparate threads in the Bloodfall series to bring things to a satisfying conclusion.
From "The Serpent King" by Jeff Zentner
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.
