What does inhomogeneous mean?
Inhomogeneous describes something that is not uniform or made up of uniform parts. The word is especially common in science, mathematics, statistics, and engineering, where it describes materials, populations, or distributions whose components differ in composition, structure, concentration, or some other measurable feature. For example, a material may be described as inhomogeneous if it contains regions with distinct properties, while an inhomogeneous statistical distribution is one in which observations are not evenly spread across categories. The term is more precise than the informal phrase 'a bit different', since it emphasizes variation within a larger whole. It is also the natural negative counterpart of homogeneous: where a homogeneous system has consistent components, an inhomogeneous system contains distinguishable or unequal components. Although 'heterogeneous' is often used as a synonym, inhomogeneous can be preferable when uniform structure or distribution is the point of comparison.
adjectiveNot uniform or homogeneous in composition, structure, or character; made up of parts that differ from one another.
- Not uniform, homogeneous, or alike in composition, structure, or character.
"The researchers used an inhomogeneous medium to mimic the varied conditions found in natural tissue."
"The inhomogeneous population was divided into groups according to the type of soil in which the plants grew."
"An inhomogeneous distribution of wealth can make a statistical model less reliable."
Sometimes one substance is not one uniform substance at all: inhomogeneous names a mixture whose parts refuse to blend into uniformity.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does inhomogeneous come from?
Inhomogeneous was formed in English by combining the Latin prefix in-, meaning 'not', with homogeneous. Homogeneous comes from Greek homos, meaning 'same', and genos, meaning 'kind', and originally referred to things of the same kind or uniform composition.
How inhomogeneous is actually used
This is a formal, chiefly scientific and statistical term. It is more specific than simply 'different': it describes a whole whose constituent parts are not uniform in composition, structure, or distribution.
Easily confused with inhomogeneous
Homogeneous means uniform or made up of parts that are alike, whereas inhomogeneous means that its parts differ.