Made up of parts or people that are all the same kind, or very similar to each other.
From Greek “homogenēs,” from “homos” meaning “same” and “genos” meaning “kind” or “race.” It entered English through Late Latin and French in scientific and mathematical writing.
Homogeneous literally means “same kind,” so a homogeneous mixture is one where you can’t tell the parts apart, like salt fully dissolved in water. Once you see the “homo-” (same) and “-genous” (kind), you can decode lots of science words using the same pieces.
In social science and policy language, 'homogeneous' has often described groups that are implicitly male-dominated or male-only, presented as neutral baselines. Gender homogeneity in workplaces and institutions has been normalized in ways that obscure exclusion.
When calling a group 'homogeneous', specify along which dimensions (e.g., gender, race) and avoid treating male-only or male-majority groups as the unmarked norm.
When describing historically homogeneous institutions, note how women and gender minorities were excluded and how their later inclusion changed norms and practices.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.