Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun The quality or condition of being diverse.
  • noun The condition of having or including people from different ethnicities and social backgrounds.
  • noun A variety or assortment.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun The fact of difference between two or more things or kinds; essential difference; variety; separateness: as, the diversity in unity of the true church; the diversity of objects in a landscape.
  • noun That in which two or more things differ; a difference; a distinction: as, diversities of opinion.
  • noun Variegation; diversification.
  • noun Synonyms Dissimilarity, etc. See difference.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun A state of difference; dissimilitude; unlikeness.
  • noun Multiplicity of difference; multiformity; variety.
  • noun Variegation.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun The quality of being diverse or different; difference or unlikeness.
  • noun A variety; divers types or examples.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun the condition or result of being changeable
  • noun noticeable heterogeneity

Etymologies

Sorry, no etymologies found.

Support

Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word diversity.

Examples

  • When the multiculturalists use the word diversity they assume that immigrants will somehow maintain their traditional culture within the Western way of life and the Western value system, like an exotic exhibit of primitive carving in a smart new museum.

    Nomad Ayaan Hirsi Ali 2010

  • When the multiculturalists use the word diversity they assume that immigrants will somehow maintain their traditional culture within the Western way of life and the Western value system, like an exotic exhibit of primitive carving in a smart new museum.

    Nomad Ayaan Hirsi Ali 2010

  • When the multiculturalists use the word diversity they assume that immigrants will somehow maintain their traditional culture within the Western way of life and the Western value system, like an exotic exhibit of primitive carving in a smart new museum.

    Nomad Ayaan Hirsi Ali 2010

  • The term diversity became popular in American culture during the 70s when the grandchildren of immigrants wanted to learn about their ethnic heritage.

    Glenwood Springs Post Independent - Top Stories 2010

  • The term diversity became popular in American culture during the 70s when the grandchildren of immigrants wanted to learn about their ethnic heritage.

    Glenwood Springs Post Independent - Top Stories 2010

  • How can we define the term diversity for our library?

    Recently Uploaded Slideshows 2009

  • But this diversity is a phenomenon that developed slowly and over time.

    Indigenous Mexico: an overview 2008

  • But this diversity is a phenomenon that developed slowly and over time.

    Indigenous Mexico: an overview 2008

  • The two differ in everything from their fashion preferences to their backgrounds to their personalities, but for these two edgy mothers, their diversity is their blessing and advantage in making a provocative shopping experience, the Popsy experience.

    The Popsy Experience 2006

  • Howard goes, Man, now that's what I call diversity, right?

    Archive 2006-08-01 2006

Comments

Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.

  • Bastardized by all! Find your grant money!!!

    June 28, 2008

  • This word currently (mar 2023) has 174 "synonyms", the vast majority of which do not have even remotely "the same definition". For example. "violent change" is not related in meaning or usage to "diversity", neither is "degenerative change" nor is "deterioration." I am concerned about the over-prevalence of explicitly negative words, which have no relevance to the dictionary meaning of "diversity" and do not belong on a list of "synonyms." The word "apostasy" is distinctly unrelated in every way to the word "diversity." It is not a synonym in the English language.

    March 3, 2023