heterogenous

American  

[het-uh-roj-uh-nuhs] / ˌhɛt əˈrɒdʒ ə nəs /

adjective

Biology, Pathology.

1. having its source or origin outside the organism; having a foreign origin.

---

heterogenous British  

/ ˌhɛtəˈrɒdʒɪnəs /

adjective

1. biology med not originating within the body; of foreign origin Compare autogenous

   a heterogenous skin graft

---

Etymology

Origin of heterogenous

First recorded in 1685–95; hetero- + -genous

Explanation

The adjective heterogenous is a somewhat comparative word, suggesting that two or more things are unlike in substance or nature, as in a heterogenous mixture containing two substances that do not totally combine, like oil and water. We can see the roots of heterogenous in the Greek combination of heteros, meaning "other," and genos, meaning "a kind." So heterogenous means "other kind." The United States, as a melting pot of cultures, contains a heterogenous population. Note that while this spelling is acceptable, the word is more correctly spelled heterogeneous, with the ending adding an "e" before the ous.

Example Sentences

As Dr. Hauschild said in a letter, the trial’s heterogenous population is what he sees every day in his clinic, and RP1 benefited all groups of patients.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 27, 2025

The problem, of course, is that the public is enormous, heterogenous, and messy; there is no single judge or 12-person jury.

From Slate • Jun. 30, 2025

"Human mechanistic studies were too heterogenous and limited in number to make any determination on biological plausibility," the authors state, essentially saying we don't know yet.

From Salon • Aug. 27, 2024

The bottom line: these assemblies are much more complicated and heterogenous than anticipated.

From Science Daily • Apr. 26, 2024

Provisionally this genus has been grouped with the Ratitae, which at any rate are a heterogenous assembly.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 3, Slice 7 "Bible" to "Bisectrix" by Various