Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for March 27, 2023 is: disparate \DISS-puh-rut\ adjective

Disparate things are noticeably [distinct](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/distinct) in quality or character. Disparate can also describe something that contains or is made up of fundamentally different and often [incongruous](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/incongruous) elements.

// The proposed law has the support of a disparate collection of interest groups.

[See the entry >](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/disparate)

Examples:

"The season finale of Andor does a brilliant job of tying together all the disparate plot threads, but there is still more story left to tell." — Jacob Siegal, BGR, 27 Nov. 2022

Did you know?

If you enjoy sorting different objects into separate categories, you're well prepared to understand the origins of disparate. The word, which first appeared in English in the 16th century, comes from the Latin verb disparāre, meaning "to divide, separate off, make different." Disparāre, in turn, comes from parāre, a verb meaning "to supply, provide, make ready or prepare." Other descendants of parāre in English include both [separate](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/separate) and [prepare](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prepare), as well as [repair](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/repair#h1), [apparatus](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/apparatus), and even the pugnacious [vituperate](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vituperate) ("to criticize harshly and usually publicly").