Divergent

How to spell divergent

9 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce divergent

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does divergent mean?

1. adjectiveTending to develop in different directions, or differing markedly from something else.

Divergent in a sentence

• The two managers held sharply divergent views on the budget cuts.

• Their careers followed divergent paths after they left university together.

Where does divergent come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word traces back to the Latin verb vergere, which literally meant 'to bend, turn, or incline' in a particular direction. Scholars combined it with the prefix dis- (here reduced to di-), meaning 'apart' or 'in different directions', to form the Late Latin verb divergere, the sense being to turn away from one another. English adopted the adjective form in the seventeenth century, largely through the language of mathematics and the sciences, where lines, rays, or series were described as moving steadily apart. From those technical roots the word spread into general use to describe opinions, paths, or interests that part ways. Its close relative 'converge' shares the same vergere root but carries the opposite prefix com- ('together'), which is a handy reminder that the spelling trap lies in the unstressed -ent ending rather than the -ant that catches so many writers out.

How the word is built

• di- (apart, variant of dis-)
• verg (from Latin vergere: to bend or turn)
• -ent (adjective suffix)