di·ver·gence

(dĭ-vûr′jəns, dī-)

a. The act or process of diverging.

b. The state of being divergent.

c. The degree by which things diverge.

2. A departure from a norm; a deviation. See Synonyms at deviation.

3. A difference between or among items: "riven as the country was with competing interests and a wide divergence of incomes and ambitions" (James Conaway). See Synonyms at difference.

4. Biology The evolutionary tendency or process by which animals or plants that are descended from a common ancestor evolve into different forms when living under different conditions.

5. Mathematics The property or manner of diverging; failure to approach a limit.

6. Physiology A turning of both eyes outward from a common point or of one eye when the other is fixed.

7. Meteorology A condition characterized by the uniform expansion in volume of a mass of air over a region, usually accompanied by fair dry weather.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

divergence

(daɪˈvɜːdʒəns)

1. the act or result of diverging or the amount by which something diverges

2. the condition of being divergent

3. (Physical Geography) meteorol the outflowing of airstreams from a particular area, caused by expanding air

4. (Mathematics) maths

a. the scalar product of the operator, ∇, and a vector function, A, where ∇= i∂/∂x + j∂/∂y+ k∂/∂z, and i, j, and k are unit vectors. Usually written: div A, ∇A, or ∇A.. See curl¹¹, gradient⁴

b. the property of being divergent

5. (General Physics) the spreading of a stream of electrons as a result of their mutual electrostatic repulsion

6. (Physiology) the turning of the eyes outwards in order to fixate an object farther away than that previously being fixated. Compare convergence⁷

7. (Biology) Also called: divergent evolution the evolutionary development of structures or organisms that differ from each other in form and function but have evolved from the same basic structure or organism. Compare convergence⁵

Also called (for senses 1, 2): divergency or divergement

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

di•ver•gence

(dɪˈvɜr dʒəns, daɪ-)

n.

1. an act or instance of diverging.

2. a divergent state or quality.

3. the degree or point of diverging.

4. a difference of structure in related organisms caused by different environmental pressures.

5. the net flow of air from a given region.

[1650–60; < Medieval Latin]

di·ver·gence

(dĭ-vûr′jəns)

1. Mathematics The property or manner of failing to approach a limit, such as a point, line, or value.

2. Biology The evolution of different forms or structures in related species as they adapt to different environments. An example of divergence is the development of wings in bats from the same bones that form the arm and hand or paw in most other mammals. Also called divergent evolution. Compare convergence.

The American Heritage® Student Science Dictionary, Second Edition. Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Noun	1.	divergence - the act of moving away in different direction from a common point; "an angle is formed by the divergence of two straight lines" divergency separation - the act of dividing or disconnecting
	2.	divergence - a variation that deviates from the standard or norm; "the deviation from the mean" deviation, difference, departure variation, fluctuation - an instance of change; the rate or magnitude of change variance, variant, discrepancy - an event that departs from expectations driftage - the deviation (by a vessel or aircraft) from its intended course due to drifting flection, flexion, inflection - deviation from a straight or normal course
	3.	divergence - an infinite series that has no limit divergency series - (mathematics) the sum of a finite or infinite sequence of expressions convergency, convergence - the approach of an infinite series to a finite limit
	4.	divergence - a difference between conflicting facts or claims or opinions; "a growing divergence of opinion" discrepancy, disagreement, variance difference - the quality of being unlike or dissimilar; "there are many differences between jazz and rock" leeway, allowance, tolerance, margin - a permissible difference; allowing some freedom to move within limits

divergence

noun difference, varying, departure, disparity, deviation, separation There's substantial divergence of opinion in the party.

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

divergence

noun

1. The condition of being unlike or dissimilar:

difference, discrepance, discrepancy, disparity, dissimilarity, dissimilitude, distinction, divarication, divergency, unlikeness.

2. A departing from what is prescribed:

aberration, departure, deviation, divergency, diversion.

3. An instance of digressing:

aside, deviation, digression, divagation, divergency, excursion, excursus, irrelevancy, parenthesis, tangent.

4. The condition of being divided, as in opinion:

disunion, disunity, divergency, division, schism.

Translations

إنْفِراج، تَباعُد، إنْفِصال

rozdílnost

afvigelsedivergens

Abweichung Divergenz

divergencia

divergenssi

divergence

széttartás

mismunur; aîgreining; frávik

divergenza

発散

divergens

divergens

ayrılık farklılık

分叉分歧散度背离

divergence

[daɪˈvɜːdʒəns] N → divergencia f

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

divergence

[daɪˈvɜː^rdʒ^əns] n (= disparity) → divergence f
a divergence of opinion → une divergence d'opinions
divergence between → divergence entre
divergence in → divergence de

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

divergence

n → Divergenz f (geh, Math), → Auseinandergehen nt; (from a standard etc) → Abweichung f

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

divergence

[daɪˈvɜːdʒ/əns] n → divergenza

Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

diverge

(daiˈvəːdʒ) verb

1. to separate and go in different directions. The roads diverge three kilometres further on.

2. to differ (from someone or something else); to go away (from a standard). This is where our opinions diverge.

diˈvergence noun

diˈvergent adjective

di·ver·gence

n. divergencia, separación de un centro común.

Mentioned in

References in classic literature

"But such divergence of opinion would constitute no menace to society.

View in context

Every time that he returned hither he was conscious of this divergence, and since he had last shared in the Vicarage life it had grown even more distinctly foreign to his own than usual.

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On the imposing expanse of the great estuary the traffic of the port where so much of the world's work and the world's thinking is being done becomes insignificant, scattered, streaming away in thin lines of ships stringing themselves out into the eastern quarter through the various navigable channels of which the Nore lightship marks the divergence. The coasting traffic inclines to the north; the deep-water ships steer east with a southern inclination, on through the Downs, to the most remote ends of the world.

View in context

This fundamental subject of Natural Selection will be treated at some length in the fourth chapter; and we shall then see how Natural Selection almost inevitably causes much Extinction of the less improved forms of life and induces what I have called Divergence of Character.

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There was sufficient divergence of type, as well as of individual beauty, to allow of fair comment; Lady Arabella represented the aristocratic type, and Lilla that of the commonalty.

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He, like Sir Patrick, acknowledged the scandalous divergence of opinions produced by the confusion and uncertainty of the marriage-law of Scotland.

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The race divergence under the system of miseducation was fast getting wider.

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It is the very demon for conveying similarities of sound that are miracles of divergence from similarity of sense.

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Hence I think there is not much difficulty in understanding the ascent of the fine lines projected from a spider's spinners, and afterwards of the spider itself; the divergence of the lines has been attempted to be explained, I believe by Mr.

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This little divergence from the subject in hand, had, of course, the intended effect of turning all eyes to Mr.

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But her face was a larger and freer copy, and her mouth in especial a happy divergence from that conservative orifice, a little pair of lips at once plump and pinched, that looked, when closed, as if they could not open wider than to swallow a gooseberry or to emit an "Oh, dear, no!" which probably had been thought to give the finishing touch to the aristocratic prettiness of the Lady Emmeline Atheling as represented, forty years before, in several Books of Beauty.

View in context

As if the homeless soul of Stevie had flown for shelter straight to the breast of his sister, guardian and protector, the resemblance of her face with that of her brother grew at every step, even to the droop of the lower lip, even to the slight divergence of the eyes.

View in context