Words / C2

DISP-uh-r-uh-t/ˈdɪspərət/

Disparate means different in kind, not merely different in degree — hard to put in one box. Choose it instead of different when the items barely belong together (disparate sources, disparate aims). Do not confuse it with desperate. In speech very different is enough.

Meaning

Clearly different in kind; not easy to compare.

Examples

• “The course brings together disparate ideas.”
• “The committee had disparate motives.”
• “He tried to weld disparate careers into one story.”

Good to know

Different in type, not desperate. Everyday: very different.

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