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divergent

divergent

20 6.5
Tending to become different and move apart
  • adjective
  • /dɪˈvɜrdʒənt/
translation icon : divergente
  • The world remains a dangerous and capricious place with widely divergent ideological and cultural views.

I don't see those two things as being like divergent from each other.

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Examples

  • The incoming House party cohorts will be representing the most divergent sets of districts in at least 60 years.

    Academic text (2013)
  • As time went on, their goals became more divergent, leading them to pursue separate careers.

  • So why they should have divergent effects on people is an interesting question.

  • We all became interested in this type of study from similar yet divergent pathways.

    Academic text (2011)
  • We can then analyze the costs and benefits of divergent responses.

    Academic text (2008)
  • The member states' divergent goals were evident in their early commitments.

    Academic text (2013)
  • Views expressed were examined for repeating evidence as well as divergent information.

    Academic text (2008)
  • The boundaries mark differences in knowledge and capabilities, as well as divergent views of morality, sexuality, and gender roles.

    Academic text (2008)
  • In a debate, the candidates presented divergent opinions on how to solve the economic crisis.

  • The two species of birds have developed divergent traits due to their different habitats.

Synonyms

diverging
vsdivergent
5.4

Moving apart and becoming different from each other

describes the general tendency rather than the ongoing action

Antonyms

3 6.1

Things that come together from different directions toward the same goal, like paths and ideas

Compounds

A person who thinks of many new ideas to solve problems

divergent strabismus
  • Specialized
8.9

One or both eyes turn outward away from the nose

A way of thinking that comes up with many different ideas to solve a problem

How Different

opposite
245 1.0
divergent
20 6.5
different
1.0
distinct
168 3.5
similar
1.0
identical
237 2.9

Surface Forms

divergent positive
divergent comparative
divergent superlative

Morphology

divergent = diverge (transparent) = diverge + ent

Formed by the verb 'diverge' plus the adjectival suffix '-ent', so the meaning 'tending to diverge' is directly predictable from the base.

Etymology

The word divergent comes from the Latin divergere, which means 'to turn apart' and shares the same 'turn' idea you see in reverse. So something divergent is like two roads that 'turn away' from each other and move in different directions.