homogeneous

adjective

ho·​mo·​ge·​neous ˌhō-mə-ˈjēn-yəs 

-ˈjē-nē-əs

1

: of the same or a similar kind or nature

2

: of uniform structure or composition throughout

a culturally homogeneous neighborhood

3

: having the property that if each variable is replaced by a constant times that variable the constant can be factored out : having each term of the same degree if all variables are considered

a homogeneous equation

homogeneously adverb

homogeneousness noun

Did you know?

Homogeneous comes from the Greek roots hom-, meaning "same," and genos, meaning "kind." The similar word homogenous is a synonym of the same origin.

Examples of homogeneous in a Sentence

In their natural state, mountains of this type are almost entirely covered by dense forest. The wooded landscape is very uniform, lacking in contrast, and any disturbance of the homogeneous green blanket is very obvious … —John Crowley, Focus on Geography, Winter 2007

One odd side effect is that, during the last 20 years, the formerly homogeneous, rather stodgy world of academic criticism has diversified into an incoherent mob of competing factions. —Walter Kendrick, New York Times Book Review, 24 Dec. 1995

The Benedictine convents for women, which had begun to be founded soon after Benedict's day, became particularly homogeneous in their social composition. The nuns of the ninth and tenth centuries were all high-born ladies, and it was almost impossible to be admitted to these convents without being a widowed or maiden relative of an important lord. —Norman F. Cantor, The Civilization of the Middle Ages, 1993

a fairly homogeneous collection of examples

Recent Examples on the Web

Recent studies consistently show that diverse teams outperform homogeneous ones in terms of problem-solving, decision-making, and increased revenue from innovation. —David D. Ireland, Forbes, 22 Jan. 2025

With a thoughtful and reflective approach, In the Shadow of Giants challenges the illusion of a homogeneous America, exploring the tension between the metropolitan dream and the reality of those living in its shadow. —Vogue, 14 Jan. 2025

But various theorists have pointed out that the universe is far from homogeneous and instead peppered with high density galaxies and giant voids that form into giant filamentary-type structures on an even larger scale. —The Physics Arxiv Blog, Discover Magazine, 31 Dec. 2024

For example, recent research from Yan Lu, Narayan Y Naik, and Melvyn Teo shows that hedge fund teams with heterogeneous educational backgrounds, academic specializations, work experiences, genders, and races outperform homogeneous teams after adjusting for risk and fund characteristics. —Bhakti Mirchandani, Forbes, 7 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Medieval Latin homogeneus (borrowed from Greek homogenḗs "of the same family, related by birth, of the same kind," from homo- homo- + -genēs, adjective derivative of génos "ancestry, race, class, kind") + -ous — more at kin entry 1

First Known Use

1641, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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Kids Definition

homogeneous

adjective

ho·​mo·​ge·​neous ˌhō-mə-ˈjē-nē-əs 

-nyəs

1

: of the same or a similar kind or nature

2

: being the same throughout

a culturally homogenous neighborhood

homogeneity

-jə-ˈnē-ət-ē

noun

homogeneously

-ˈjē-nē-əs-lē

adverb

Medical Definition

homogeneous

adjective

ho·​mo·​ge·​neous -ˈjē-nē-əs, -nyəs 

: of uniform structure or composition throughout

homogeneously adverb

homogeneousness noun