Word of the day · 13 June 2026
disparate
/ˈdɪspərət/
adjective
Essentially different; distinct in kind and not easily compared.
In a sentence
- The report tried to merge disparate datasets into one chart.
- They built a team from disparate skills: design, code and logistics.
- Disparate goals made the partnership hard to manage.
In an image
Origin
From Latin disparatus (separated), from disparare (to separate), related to dispar (unequal).
History
Disparate marks difference of kind, not only mild variety. Analysts use it for data sets, cultures and aims that resist a single frame. It is stronger than different and closer to fundamentally unlike. Pairing disparate things can be creative; forcing them together can be a category error.
Nearby words
dissimilar · distinct · heterogeneous
Parts that do not belong to the same type.