heterogeneous

American  

[het-er-uh-jee-nee-uhs, -jeen-yuhs] / ˌhɛt ər əˈdʒi ni əs, -ˈdʒin yəs /

adjective

1. different in kind; unlike; incongruous.

2. composed of parts of different kinds; having widely dissimilar elements or constituents.

   The party was attended by a heterogeneous group of artists, politicians, and social climbers.

   Synonyms:

   diverse, varied

   Antonyms:

   homogeneous

3. Chemistry. (of a mixture) composed of different substances or the same substance in different phases, as solid ice and liquid water.

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heterogeneous British  

/ ˌhɛtərəʊdʒɪˈniːɪtɪ, ˌhɛtərəʊˈdʒiːnɪəs /

adjective

1. composed of unrelated or differing parts or elements

2. not of the same kind or type

3. chem of, composed of, or concerned with two or more different phases Compare homogeneous

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Usage

What does heterogeneous mean? Heterogeneous most generally means consisting of different, distinguishable parts or elements. The word is used in a more specific way in the context of chemistry to describe a mixture consisting of two or more different substances or the same substance in different phases of matter (such as ice and liquid water). In either sense, the state of being heterogeneous is heterogeneity. The general sense of heterogeneous is not as commonly used as the general sense of its opposite, homogeneous—which most often means consisting of parts or elements that are all the same. The word homogenous (which is spelled without a second e and is pronounced differently) can be used to mean the same thing. The word heterogenous is very similar in spelling but not in meaning. It’s used in the context of biology and medicine to refer to something that originated outside of the body or that is derived from another individual or species (such as a skin graft). Example: The exhibit features a heterogeneous mix of artifacts from different cultures and eras.

Other Word Forms

• heterogeneity noun
• heterogeneously adverb
• heterogeneousness noun

Etymology

Origin of heterogeneous

1615–25; < Medieval Latin heterogeneus < Greek heterogenḗs. See hetero-, gene, -ous

Explanation

Heterogeneous can be used to describe the diversity of nearly anything — populations, classrooms, collections. A heterogeneous array of immigrants passed through Ellis Island to help create the American "melting pot." An easy way to remember the meaning of this word is that homo is the same and hetero is different. So, a homogeneous group of puppies might consist of apricot-colored poodles, while a heterogeneous group might consist of a hodgepodge of different pups ranging from dachshunds to dalmatians. Anytime you are confronted with a group whose members are not all similar to one another, you have an opportunity to trot out heterogeneous.

Example Sentences

By contrast, the wealthy are strikingly politically heterogeneous.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 24, 2026

“We’re imagining a heterogeneous accelerating framework that connects quantum and classical compute,” Gambetta explained during a tour of IBM’s Thomas J. Watson Research Center in October.

From Barron's • Jan. 29, 2026

Different leaders, organizations and local movements press for change, but their efforts are sporadic and heterogeneous.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 16, 2026

The credit card market is heterogeneous, segmented by income and more importantly by credit score.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 14, 2026

The hope was that all of us would mingle in heterogeneous harmony, deepening the quality of student life across the board.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama