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neurodiverse

UK/ˌnjʊəɹə(ʊ)daɪˈvɜːs/US/ˌn(j)ʊɹoʊˌdaɪˈvɝs/
adjectiveC1Very rare — outside the 30,000 commonest English words, so you will meet it in writing rather than in speechToo rare in one of the two pools to compare — fewer than 20 uses in speech or in writing

Neurodiverse means whose mind works differently from the typical pattern. A neurodiverse workforce, neurodiverse pupils, neurodiverse and proud.

Strictly a group is neurodiverse and a person is neurodivergent, though the words are used loosely. The underlying idea is that such differences are variation rather than deficit, which changes what support means.

Definitions of neurodiverse

  1. 1adjectiveneurodiverseWhose mind works differently from the typical pattern.C1

    “The company wants a neurodiverse workforce, with staff who think in different ways.”

neurodiverse is a quality.

Also accepted in games: neurodivergent

Where it comes from

Neuro-, of the nervous system, plus diverse, modelled on neurodiversity, coined by Judy Singer in 1998.

  1. Proto-Indo-European

    *(s)neh₁-

  2. English, today

    neurodiverse

From neuro + diverse, probably modelled on neurodiversity which was coined by Judy Singer (born 1951) in her 1998 Bachelor of Arts dissertation. The latter word was popularized by Harvey Blume in a September 1998 article in The Atlantic.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA

Practised in Disability & Access

Practise this word

neurodiverse in the wild

  • On 12 September 2024, Nikon announced four "HERALBONY" limited editions of the Zfc, featuring designs created by neurodiverse artists.

    Nikon Zfc

From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. These sentences were written by other people about their own subjects; they are here to show the word at work, not as anybody’s opinion.