divergent

divergent (daɪˈvɜːdʒənt)

—*adj*
1.	diverging or causing divergence
2.	(of opinions, interests, etc) different
3.	maths (of a series) having no limit; not convergent
4.	botany (of plant organs) farther apart at their tops than at their bases

usage The use of divergent to mean different as in they hold widely divergent views is considered by some people to be incorrect

di'vergently

—*adv*

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source

Etymonline

Word Origin & History

divergent

1690s, from Mod.L. divergentem, prp. of divergere (see diverge).

Example sentences

The two daughters had quite different upbringings, and as primary guardians of

the estate they play equally divergent roles.

When we know how this process really works, we can start to develop in

interesting and perhaps divergent ways.

We risk filling the time with consensus, rather than exploring divergent,

multi-disciplinary viewpoints.

The two have remained friends, even as they have taken divergent paths.

Enjoy Dictionary.com ad-free! Learn more

diverse epigynous harmonic series Khanty Mansi Mixtec

Matching Quote

"There is a current misconception which sees in Jung an early disciple of Freud who subsequently deserted his master. Nothing could be more misleading. From the very beginning there were differences of procedure and of outlook that were bound to lead to divergent results. Freud's work is based on a scientific method restricted to the principle of causality: that is to say, it is assumed that everything that happens has an explanation in prior causes, and is merely the result of those causes. The world is a mechanism that can be taken to pieces and we can only understand how it works if we know how to dismantle and reassemble its constituent parts. Jung does not deny this causal principle, but he says it is inadequate to explain all the facts. In his view, we live and work, day by day, according to the principle of directed aim or purpose, as well as by the principle of causality. We are drawn onwards and our actions are significant for a future we cannot foresee, and will only be explicable when the final effect of the impulse becomes evident. In other words, life has a meaning as well as an explanation; a meaning, moreover, that we can never finally discover, for it is being extended all the time by the process of evolution."

-Sir Herbert Read