diversity

American  

[dih-vur-si-tee, dahy-] / dɪˈvɜr sɪ ti, daɪ- /

noun

• diversities
  plural

1. 

   the state or fact of being diverse; difference; unlikeness.

   diversity of opinion.

   Antonyms:

   similarity, sameness, resemblance

2. variety; multiformity.

   Synonyms:

   multiplicity, heterogeneity, assortment, variation, dissimilarity, disagreement, contrast

   Antonyms:

   homogeneity

3. 1. the spectrum of individual differences and the corresponding group memberships and identities that human beings have in society.

      A functioning multicultural society celebrates the diversity of its people, but diversity can also be problematic for the maintenance of a cohesive national identity.

   2. the inclusion of individuals representing more than one national origin, color, religion, socioeconomic stratum, sexual orientation, etc..

      an initiative to increase diversity in the workplace.

4. a point of difference.

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diversity British  

/ daɪˈvɜːsɪtɪ /

noun

1. the state or quality of being different or varied

2. a point of difference

3. logic the relation that holds between two entities when and only when they are not identical; the property of being numerically distinct

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• diversities
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of diversity

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English diversite, from Anglo-French, from Latin dīversitās; see diverse, -ity

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Explanation

When there's diversity, there's variety. Often, this word is used for diversity of race, class, or gender. To have diversity, you need a mix of whatever you're talking about. If you like science fiction, romantic comedies, cartoons, and action movies, then you like a diversity of types of films. If you like nothing but kung fu films, then you don't like a diversity of films. No matter what kind of diversity you're talking about, there needs to be a real mix, kind of like a huge box of Crayolas.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

diversity diversities

For McKellan, Screen Burn's success demonstrates the growing diversity of Scotland's games industry, which now includes both global giants and independent studios.

From BBC ● Nov. 13, 2026

However, the diversity within these groups presents an interesting contrast.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 12, 2026

Large plant-eating animals also played a major role in maintaining this diversity by grazing, browsing, and disturbing vegetation.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 7, 2026

To give the species a fighting chance, genetic researchers have cloned ferrets from preserved tissue samples to introduce fresh genetic diversity into captive populations.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 4, 2026

Indeed, if laboratory mice have too much HLA diversity, Black told me, researchers can’t use them to observe the progress of an infectious disease.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann

This interval, known as the Hettangian, was a time of continuing adverse conditions in the oceans, with generally low diversities among marine invertebrates, such as ammonites and bivalves.

From Science Daily ● Apr. 30, 2024

"It's a combination of all the diversities of all the religions," he said.

From BBC ● Nov. 12, 2023

"We wanted to give all the filmmakers and all the storytellers and the diversities of locations and tones its own kind of vocabulary," Gordon said.

From Salon ● Jan. 22, 2023

The solos danced by Taylor Stanley in Kyle Abraham’s “The Runaway” exemplified many American diversities, not least stylistic ones.

From New York Times ● Dec. 7, 2018

Such diversities are well known to exist in both spheres of thought.

From The Relations of Science and Religion The Morse Lecture, 1880 by Henry Calderwood

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Related Words

• diversification

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