Standard Lemma guide

divergence

noun · 8 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /daɪˈvɜː(ɹ)d͡ʒəns/
  • /dɪˈvɜː(ɹ)d͡ʒəns/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ɜː(ɹ)dʒəns
  • CMU ARPABET: D AY0 V ER1 JH AH0 N S Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
  • CMU ARPABET 2: D IH0 V ER1 JH AH0 N S Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

The state or degree of being divergent: of diverging.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Examples

  • An angle is made by the divergence of straight lines.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: divergency

Antonyms: convergence, convergency

2

noun

Meaning 2

The operator which maps a function F=(F1, ... Fn) from a n-dimensional vector space to itself to the function ∑i=1n(∂F_i)/(∂x_i).

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Topics: calculus, mathematics, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: mul:div, mul:∇⋅

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

Disagreement; difference.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, obsolete, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

The process in which two or more populations accumulate genetic changes (mutations) through time.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

the act of moving away in different direction from a common point

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • an angle is formed by the divergence of two straight lines

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: divergency

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: separation

6

noun

Meaning 6

a difference between conflicting facts or claims or opinions

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • a growing divergence of opinion

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: discrepancy, disagreement, variance

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: difference

Narrower terms: allowance, leeway, margin, tolerance

7

noun

Meaning 7

an infinite series that has no limit

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: divergency

Antonyms: convergence

Broader terms: series

8

noun

Meaning 8

a variation that deviates from the standard or norm

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • the deviation from the mean

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: deviation, departure, difference

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: variation, fluctuation

Narrower terms: discrepancy, variance, variant, driftage, inflection, flection, flexion

History

Etymology

By surface analysis, diverge + -ence.

Across languages

Translations

46 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Albanian: divergjencë — the degree of divergence
  • Armenian: տարամիտում (taramitum) — the degree of divergence
  • Asturian: diverxencia — the degree of divergence
  • Bulgarian: отклоне́ние (otklonénie) — the degree of divergence
  • Catalan: divergència — the degree of divergence
  • Chinese Mandarin: 差異 /差异 (chāyì) — the degree of divergence
  • Czech: divergence — the degree of divergence
  • Czech: rozbíhavost — the degree of divergence
  • Czech: rozbíhání — the degree of divergence
  • Finnish: eroavuus — the degree of divergence
  • French: divergence — the degree of divergence
  • Galician: diverxencia — the degree of divergence
  • German: Abweichung — the degree of divergence
  • Irish: eisréimneacht — the degree of divergence
  • Italian: divergenza — the degree of divergence
  • Japanese: 発散 (hassan) — the degree of divergence
  • Māori: tangongitanga — the degree of divergence
  • Polish: rozbieżność — the degree of divergence
  • Polish: odchylenie — the degree of divergence
  • Portuguese: divergência — the degree of divergence
  • Romanian: divergență — the degree of divergence
  • Russian: расхожде́ние (rasxoždénije) — the degree of divergence
  • Russian: отклоне́ние (otklonénije) — the degree of divergence
  • Russian: несоотве́тствие (nesootvétstvije) — the degree of divergence
  • Spanish: divergencia — the degree of divergence
  • Swedish: divergens — the degree of divergence
  • Armenian: դիվերգենցիա (divergencʻia) — mathematical operator
  • Asturian: diverxencia — mathematical operator
  • Bulgarian: дивергенция (divergencija) — mathematical operator
  • Catalan: divergència — mathematical operator
  • Chinese Mandarin: 散度 (sàndù) — mathematical operator
  • Czech: divergence — mathematical operator
  • Dutch: divergentie — mathematical operator
  • Finnish: divergenssi — mathematical operator
  • French: divergence — mathematical operator
  • Galician: diverxencia — mathematical operator
  • German: Divergenz — mathematical operator
  • Italian: divergenza — mathematical operator
  • Japanese: 発散 (hassan) — mathematical operator
  • Polish: dywergencja — mathematical operator
  • Portuguese: divergência — mathematical operator
  • Portuguese: divergente — mathematical operator
  • Romanian: divergență — mathematical operator
  • Russian: диверге́нция (divergéncija) — mathematical operator
  • Spanish: divergencia — mathematical operator
  • Swedish: divergens — mathematical operator