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

Etymology

Origin of diversity

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

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

The rise of the movement to promote diversity, equity and inclusion and reports showing a declining number of Jewish undergraduates at Harvard also drew his concern, the people said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026

One of the biggest challenges in treating solid tumors is their diversity.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 11, 2026

Rolling Stone magazine called Styles "effortlessly charismatic" , externaland noted there was "real diversity" in a setlist that covered all four of his solo albums to date.

From BBC ● Sep. 10, 2026

“We had this acronym, IDIC. Infinite diversity in infinite combinations,” Takei previously told The Times.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026

China’s size and ecological diversity spawned many separate local cultures, distinguishable archaeologically by their differing styles of pottery and artifacts.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

Instead of ranking the restaurants that make the Golden State, in Addison’s words, a “culinary juggernaut,” the list, which is only a beginning, offers a glimpse into the cultures and diversities that make up California.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 31, 2025

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

Taking the soul as an individual, we find its diversities, as alterations in it, the one permanent subject, and as stages in its development.

From Hegel's Philosophy of Mind by Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel

Related Words

• diversification