Definition of disparate

< disparage

disparity >

dis·pa·rate    (dspr-t, d-sprt) KEY 

ADJECTIVE:

1. Fundamentally distinct or different in kind; entirely dissimilar: "This mixture of apparently disparate materialsscandal and spiritualism, current events and eternal recurrencesis not promising on the face of it" (Gary Wills).
2. Containing or composed of dissimilar or opposing elements: a disparate group of people who represented a cross section of the city.

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ETYMOLOGY:
Latin dispartus, past participle of disparre, to separate : dis-, apart ; see dis- + parre, to prepare; see per-¹ in Indo-European roots

OTHER FORMS:
dispa·rate·ly(Adverb), dispa·rate·ness(Noun)