diversification

noun

di·​ver·​si·​fi·​ca·​tion də-ˌvər-sə-fə-ˈkā-shən 

dī-

1

: the act or process of diversifying something or of becoming diversified : an increase in the variety or diversity of something

Between the appearance of complex cells 2.1 billion to 1.6 billion years ago and the explosive diversification of multicellular animals some 800 million years ago, not much happens in the fossil record.

—Carolyn Gramling

2

a

: the act or practice of spreading investments among a variety of securities or classes of securities

I've emphasized bond mutual funds because they're so useful for investors of average means. You get diversification (because the fund owns many types of bonds) and liquidity (you can cash out, at the market price, whenever you want).

—Jane Bryant Quinn

b

: the act or policy of increasing the variety of a company's products

And it envisions a diversification into products such as clothing and electronics, which Nakasone hopes will attract more customers outside the busy holiday season.

—Karl Taro Greenfeld

Examples of diversification in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Such diversification would make India less vulnerable to Chinese attempts to exert influence within its borders. —Harsh V. Pant, Foreign Affairs, 14 Nov. 2024

The filing highlights that D.R. Horton continues to focus on geographic diversification, with operations in 125 markets across 36 states. —Quartz Bot, Quartz, 19 Nov. 2024

Georgia’s shift from red to purple over the past decade is widely attributed to diversification in the Atlanta metro area, which makes up 60% of the vote in Georgia and where the population grew by 15% between 2010 and 2020, though the white population shrank by 2%, according to Census data. —Sara Dorn, Forbes, 4 Nov. 2024

Yoo, a fashion veteran with two decades of relevant experience, will focus on growth across direct-to-consumer channels, category diversification and global scaling. —Alexandra Harrell, Sourcing Journal, 1 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Middle French & Medieval Latin; Middle French diversificacion, diversification, borrowed from Medieval Latin dīversificātiōn-, dīversificātiō "differentiation, variation," from dīversificāre "to differentiate, diversify" + Latin -tiōn- -tiō, suffix of verbal action

First Known Use

1603, in the meaning defined at sense 1