disparate
Americanadjective
adjective
noun
Other Word Forms
- disparately adverb
- disparateness noun
- nondisparate adjective
- nondisparately adverb
- nondisparateness noun
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” ( pare )
Explanation
The trunk of some people's cars may contain items as disparate as old clothes, rotting food, and possibly a missing relative. Disparate things are very different from each other. Near synonyms are unequal and dissimilar. The adjective disparate is from Latin disparātus, from disparāre "to separate, divide," from the prefix dis- "apart" plus parāre "to prepare." Disparate in the sense of "very different" probably developed by association with the Latin adjective dispar "unequal, 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’ll buy up stock in the initial, single company, anticipating the spinoff will unlock value in what will become disparate and separately traded entities.
From Barron's • Apr. 10, 2026
Strikes on disparate vessels may seem a thin reed for an ICC investigation, but the court has been moved to act by less.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026
Never — and this includes the Dodgers’ time in bankruptcy court — have the fates of the two Los Angeles franchises been so disparate.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 26, 2026
It used to be that the truth existed somewhere in the middle, between the disparate narratives.
From Salon • Mar. 11, 2026
All of those environmental differences influenced the two hemi-continents’ very disparate cultural histories, which we shall now consider.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
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.
