diversity

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English[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Middle English diversite, from Old French diversité, from Latin dīversitās. Displaced native Old English mislīcnes.

Pronunciation[edit]

  • IPA(key): /daɪˈvɜː(ɹ)sɪti/, /dɪˈvɜː(ɹ)sɪti/
  • (file)

Noun[edit]

diversity (countable and uncountable, plural diversities)

  1. The quality of being diverse or different; difference or unlikeness.
    Synonyms: see Thesaurus:nonuniformity
    • 1971, Lyndon Johnson, “"I feel like I have already been here a year"”, in The Vantage Point[1], Holt, Reinhart & Winston, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 23:
      On December 17 I addressed the UN General Assembly, stating that it was this nation's policy to help create a world that "can be safe for diversity and free from hostility."
    • 2023 May 7, Caroline Davies, Emily Dugan, quoting Adjoa Andoh, “Coronation aimed for diversity but real challenges still lie ahead”, in The Guardian[2], →ISSN:
      One place there were none, of course, was on the Buckingham Palace balcony, as was observed by the Bridgerton actor Adjoa Andoh – who contrasted on the ITV coverage “the rich diversity of the abbey” and “a terribly white balcony”.
  2. A variety; diverse types or examples.
    Synonym: selection
    • 1983 August 6, Rob Schmieder, “Disco Consumers And Rock Activists”, in Gay Community News, page 15:
      Hendryx has laid down eight tracks that flow seamlessly through funk, disco, gospel, rock and reggae, with nary a false step along the way. She is at home in this diversity of styles because she has paid her dues in all of them: from her days as one of the dynamoes of Labelle through collaborations with rock band Talking Heads, funk band Cameo []
    • 2013 July 26, Nick Miroff, “Mexico gets a taste for eating insects …”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 189, number 7, page 32:
      The San Juan market is Mexico City's most famous deli of exotic meats, where an adventurous shopper can hunt down hard-to-find critters such as ostrich, wild boar and crocodile. Only the city zoo offers greater species diversity.
  3. (chiefly business) Equal-opportunity inclusion.
    • 2003, Adalberto Aguirre, Racial and Ethnic Diversity in America: A Reference Handbook, page 72:
      Bakke has shaped a precarious context for diversity initiatives in higher education. On the one hand, the U.S. Supreme Court has reasoned that race may serve a purpose in the admissions process; however, race may not be used as a corrective measure, such as by establishing quotas.
    • 2021 November 11, Jay Caspian Kang, “Can We Talk About Critical Race Theory?”, in The New York Times[3], →ISSN:
      Diversity is now a big industry — about $8 billion per year gets spent on diversity trainings in America — and parents might be feeling blindsided by the rapid changes, many of which came after last year’s George Floyd protests.

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