Word of the day · 20 May 2026
diversity
/daɪˈvɜːsɪti/
noun
Variety within a group; the presence of different kinds of people, ideas or forms.
In a sentence
- The shortlist showed more diversity of experience than last year.
- Rainforest diversity includes insects most visitors never notice.
- A newsroom’s diversity of sources can change which stories get told.
In an image
Origin
From Latin diversitas (difference, contradiction), from diversus (turned different ways).
History
Biology still uses diversity for species richness. Institutions borrowed it for mixes of background, identity and viewpoint. The word can be descriptive (what is present) or aspirational (what a policy seeks). Searchers often want that plain sense before workplace jargon piles on.
Nearby words
variety · heterogeneity · pluralism
Difference present in one place, team or ecosystem.