homogenous

Homogenous most generally means consisting of parts or elements that are all the same. Something that is homogenous is uniform in nature or character throughout.

Homogenous can also be used to describe multiple things that are all essentially alike or of the same kind. When used generally, homogenous is often associated with things that are considered biased, boring, or bland due to lacking variety or diversity.

In the context of chemistry, homogenous is used to describe a mixture that is uniform in structure or composition. The verb homogenize means to make something homogenous. To homogenize milk is to blend it in a way that results in the milk fat being evenly distributed throughout it. The state of being homogenous is homogeneity.

The general sense of homogenous can be used interchangeably with the word homogeneous (which is spelled with a second e and is pronounced differently). When used in this general way, homogenous is more commonly used than homogeneous.

Homogenous is also used in the context of biology to mean corresponding in structure due to either a common origin or a common environment.

The opposite of most senses of homogenous is heterogeneous, which most generally means consisting of different, distinguishable parts or elements.

Example: This suburb is so homogenous—even the houses all look the same.

The first records of the word homogenous come from around 1870. It comes from the Greek homo-, meaning “same,” and génos, meaning “kind.”

In every context in which it’s used, homogenous is used to describe things that are essentially alike or uniform throughout—without any or much variation. The word homogeneous may sound a bit more technical than homogenous and it usually is. In popular use, homogenous is used to describe things that lack variety or diversity and are therefore thought to be dull or uninteresting. In this sense, it’s often used to criticize such things.

What are some other forms of homogenous?

• homogenously (adverb)
• nonhomogenous (adjective)
• homogeny (noun)

What are some synonyms for homogenous?

• homogeneous
• homoplastic
• uniform
• unvarying
• alike
• similar
• identical

What are some words that share a root or word element with homogenous? 

• homogeneity
• homogenize
• homophone
• homonym
• heterogeneous
• genus

What are some words that often get used in discussing homogenous?

• same
• mixture
• culture
• society
• boring
• variety
• diversity

What are some words homogenous may be commonly confused with?

• homogeneous
• heterogeneous

The word homogenous is most commonly used in a general way to describe things that are lacking variety or diversity.

“Studies show over & over that if you take a diverse group & compare it to a completely homogenous group, the decisions coming from the diverse groups are better.” – Susan Angele, @KPMG_US's Board Leadership Center. #Quorum #BoardDiversity #BetterDecisions https://t.co/jpKTScApDe pic.twitter.com/jpfn4c7xz5

— Out Leadership (@OutLeadership) April 30, 2020

A more interesting discussion is not about a pseudo-apology, but rather, how this happened. I've presented at numerous conferences, and it's been a while since I've seen such a homogenous lineup. What was the process for speaker selection? That's where the issue lies.

— Susan Wilcox, MD (@MiscSusan) August 25, 2020

The Oscar voting committee is 94% white, 77% male and 86% age 50 or older. Even the Augusta National membership thinks it's too homogenous.

— Jason Sobel (@JasonSobelTAN) February 27, 2012

Which of the following words is NOT a synonym of homogenous?

A. diverse
B. uniform
C. alike
D. similar