diverse

Etymology

From Old French divers, from Latin diversus (“various, different”), also written divorsus, past participle of diverto, divortere (“to turn or go different ways, part, separate, divert”); see divert.

adj

1. Consisting of many different elements; various.
2. Different; dissimilar; distinct; not the same
   1797?, Jonathan Edwards, A Dissertation Concerning Liberty and Necessity; containing remarks on the essays of Dr. Samuel West, and on the writings of several other authors, on those subjects. It must be observed concerning moral Inability, in each kind of it, that the word Inability is used in a sense very diverse from its original import.
   Our roads are diverse: farewell, love! said she. 1876, Robert Browning, Bifurcation
   This is what collectivism forgot — the freedom to be diverse, and the conception of each diverse individual being inherently of equal value and having open-ended potential for contribution. 1998, Ken Shelton, Integrity at Work, page 42
   In plants, the ability to recognize self from nonself plays an important role in fertilization, because self-fertilization will result in less diverse offspring than fertilization with pollen from another individual. 2013 May-June, Katrina G. Claw, “Rapid Evolution in Eggs and Sperm”, in American Scientist, volume 101, number 3
3. Capable of various forms; multiform.
   Eloquence is a great and diverse thing. 1641, Ben Jonson, Discoveries
4. Composed of people with a variety of different demographic characteristics in terms of, for example, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, etc., and having a sizeable representation of people that are minorities in a given area.
   The stage reflected the increasingly diverse Democratic party in which women and people of color are ascendent. June 27 2019, Lauren Gambino, “Democratic 2020 candidates clash on healthcare, immigration and economy in first debate”, in The Guardian
5. (nonstandard) Belonging to a minority group.
   The Board’s goal is to commit to doubling the number of women and diverse members of the Academy by 2020. 2016 January 22, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
   Here to comment is diverse Congresswoman from Ohio […] Marcia Fudge. 2018 November 17, Saturday Night Live, season 44, episode 6, Voter Fraud (cold open)
   Richards came under fierce criticism since he was formally hired to emcee the legendary quiz show, with some longtime fans saying they believed the producers should have selected a more diverse candidate for the job, such as the actor and presenter LeVar Burton. August 23 2021, “Mike Richards out as executive producer of 'Jeopardy!' and 'Wheel of Fortune'”, in NBC News

adv

1. In different directions; diversely.