uniformity

English

WOTD – 9 September 2025

Etymology

From Late Middle English uniformite, uniformitie (“conformity or equality among several parts; similar degree”),[1] borrowed from Old French uniformité (“uniformity”) (modern French uniformité), or from its etymon Late Latin ūniformitās, from Latin ūnifōrmis (“having only one form or shape, uniform”)[2] + -itās (a variant of -tās (suffix forming feminine abstract nouns indicating a state of being)). Ūnifōrmis is derived from ūni- (prefix meaning ‘one’) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₁óynos (“one”)) + -fōrmis (suffix meaning having the form of) (from fōrma (“appearance, form, shape”); further etymology unknown). By surface analysis, uniform +‎ -ity.

Pronunciation

  • (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˌjuːnɪˈfɔːmɪti/
  • Audio (Southern England):(file)
  • (General American) IPA(key): /ˌjunɪˈfɔɹməti/, [-ɾi]
  • Audio (General American):(file)
  • Rhymes: -ɔː(ɹ)mɪti
  • Hyphenation: uni‧form‧i‧ty

Noun

uniformity (usually uncountable, plural uniformities)

  1. The quality or state of being uniform.
    Synonyms: see Thesaurus:uniformity
    Antonyms: disuniformity, nonuniformity
    1. (uncountable) The quality or state of having the same characteristics or form as other things, and lacking variety; (countable) an instance of this.
      Synonym: sameness
      • 1611, Thomas Coryate [i.e., Thomas Coryat], “My Obseruations of Gorcom”, in Coryats Crudities Hastily Gobled Vp in Five Moneths Trauells […], London: […] W[illiam] S[tansby for the author], →OCLC, page 640, lines 3–5:
        The buildings are all of brick, of a goodly heigth, and an excellent vniformity in moſt of the ſtreets, the toppes riſing vvith battlements.
      • 1614, Walter Ralegh [i.e., Walter Raleigh], “Of the Times from the Death of Manasses [Manasseh of Judah] to the Destruction of Jerusalem”, in The Historie of the World […], London: […] William Stansby for Walter Burre, […], →OCLC, 2nd book, §. IIII (The Great Expedition of the Scythians, who Ruled in Asia Eight and Twentie Years. †. I. The Time of the Expedition.), page 637:
        It remaines, that I collect as vvell as I can, thoſe memorials vvhich I find of this expedition ſcattered in diuers places: a vvorke neceſſarie, for that the greatneſſe of this action vvas ſuch, as ought not to bee omitted in a generall Hiſtorie; yet not eaſie, the conſent of thoſe that haue vvritten thereof, being nothing neare to vniformitie.
      • 1625, Francis [Bacon], “Of Building”, in The Essayes […], 3rd edition, London: […] Iohn Haviland for Hanna Barret, →OCLC, page 257:
        Houſes are built to Liue in, and not to Looke on: Therefore let Vſe bee preferred before Vniformitie; Except vvhere both may be had.
      • 1641 May, John Milton, “The Second Book”, in Of Reformation Touching Church-Discipline in England: And the Cavses that hitherto have Hindred it. […], [London]: […] Thomas Vnderhill, →OCLC, page 74; republished in (Please provide a date or year):
        [T]his diſtinction of Honour vvill bring forth a ſeemly and gracefull Uniformity over all the Kingdome.
      • 1642, Thomas Fuller, “Of Building”, in The Holy State, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire: […] Roger Daniel for John Williams, […], →OCLC, book III, paragraph 9, page 168:
        Uniformity alſo much pleaſeth the eye; and 'tis obſerved that free-ſtone, like a fair complexion, ſooneſt vvaxeth old, vvhileſt brick keeps her beauty longeſt.
      • 1753, William Hogarth, “Of Simplicity, or Distinctness”, in The Analysis of Beauty. […], London: […] J[ohn] Reeves for the author, […], →OCLC, page 22:
        Steeples, &c. have generally been varied from the cone, to take off from their too great ſimplicity, and inſtead of their circular baſes, polygons of different, but even numbers of ſides, have been ſubſtituted, I ſuppoſe for the ſake of uniformity. […] Yet, in my mind, odd numbers have the advantage over the even ones, as varieth is more pleaſing than uniformity, vvhere the ſame end is anſvver'd by both; […]
      • 1756 (date written), [Edmund Burke], “Sect. XIII. The Effects of Succession in Visual Objects Explained.”, in A Philosophical Enquiry into the Origin of Our Ideas of the Sublime and Beautiful, London: […] R[obert] and J[ames] Dodsley, […], published 1757, →OCLC, part IV, page 139:
        To produce therefore a perfect grandeur in ſuch things as vve have been mentioning, there ſhould be a perfect ſimplicity, an abſolute uniformity in diſpoſition, ſhape and colouring.
      • 1778 October 15 (first performance), R[ichard] B[rinsley] Sheridan, The Camp, a Musical Entertainment, […], London: [s.n.], published 1795, →OCLC, Act II, scene [iii], page 23:
        [T]he tents are all ranged in a ſtrait line, novv Lady Gorget, can any thing be vvorſe than a ſtrait line; and is not there a horrid uniformity in their infinite viſta of canvas? no curve, no break, and the avenue of marquees abominable.
      • 1962 December, “Talking of Trains: Rail and Flange Lubrication”, in Modern Railways, Shepperton, Surrey: Ian Allan Publishing, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 372:
        The uniformity of the wheel diameters of diesel and electric locomotives and m.u. trains impairs the spreading of grease from one point fed by the lubricator and the growing traffic of m.u. trains and railcars has increased the need for lubrication and for check rails in certain places.
    2. (uncountable) Often followed by of: the quality or state of a thing always having the same characteristics or form; consistency or regularity in appearance or operation.
      The uniformity of the decor
      • 1943 March–April, “G.W.R. Rolling Stock Colours”, in Railway Magazine, page 106:
        Brown was the first livery selected for the company by Brunel nearly 108 years ago, and it continued until October, 1864, when the Directors decided that, to relieve the uniformity, carriages of all classes should be painted white from the waist upwards.
      • 1980, AA Book of British Villages, Drive Publications Ltd, page 334, about Rockbourne:
        There is no uniformity: clay-and-straw cob walls and thatch roofs stand happily next to brick and tile, timber and stone.
    3. (uncountable) Often followed by of: especially of one's life: lack of variety; tedious sameness; monotony.
    4. (uncountable, geology) The condition or state described by uniformitarianism (“the scientific principle that natural laws and processes operated in the past in the same way and at the same rates that they operate today, and sometimes in the same way everywhere in the universe as well”).
      • 1837, William Whewell, “The Two Antagonist Doctrines of Geology”, in History of the Inductive Sciences, from the Earliest to the Present Times. […], volume III, London: John W[illiam] Parker, […]; Cambridge, Cambridgeshire: J. and J. J. Deighton, →OCLC, book XVIII (History of Geology), section 2 (Of the Doctrine of Geological Uniformity), page 615:
        It must be granted at once, to the advocates of this geological uniformity, that we are not arbitrarily to assume the existence of catastrophes. The degree of uniformity and continuity with which terromotive forces have acted, must be collected, not from any gratuitous hypothesis, but from the facts of the case.
    5. (uncountable, especially religion) Adherence to or conformity with one viewpoint, set of observances, etc.
      • 1611, [Miles Smith], “The Translators to the Reader”, in The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC:
        Novv, vvhen the father of their Church, vvho gladly vvould heale the ſoare of the daugheer[sic] of his people ſoftly and ſleightly, and make the beſt of it, findeth ſo great fault vvith them for their oddes and iarring; vve hope the children haue no great cauſe to vaunt of their vniformitie.
      • 1651, Richard Baxter, chapter XIV, in Plain Scripture Proof of Infants Church-membership and Baptism: […], London: […] Robert White; and are to be sold by Thomas Underhil, […], and Francis Tyton […], →OCLC, part II, page 147:
        VVhither Mr. [William] Dell is arrived, let his Sermon againſt Reformation, and his Treatiſe againſt Uniformity vvitneſs.

Derived terms

Translations

References

  1. ^ “ūniformitẹ̄, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.
  2. ^ “uniformity, n.”, in OED Online ⁠, Oxford: Oxford University Press, March 2025; “uniformity, n.”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.

Further reading

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