hetero-
hetero- prefix: varied, heterogeneous; a set that has variety with respect to the root.
Prefix
hetero-
- Varied, heterogeneous; a set that has variety with respect to the root.
- heterogamous
- heterochromatic
- Heterocyclic: a cyclic compound with multiple elements in its ring. The non-carbon atoms are known as heteroatoms.
- heteroalkene
- heteroaddition
- A heterogeneous mixture.
- heterofunctionalization
- heterofibril
- Across, spanning multiple distinct kinds of the root, different.
- heterochrome
- heterocladic
- Straight, heterosexual.
- heterocentric
- heteroamorous
- Other, by another.
- heteroadministered
- heterobiography
- Synonyms:
- allo-
- Opposite in direction or position.
- heterodromous
- heterofacial
- Outside; Synonym of xeno-.
- heterogenetic
- heterocephaly
- Asymmetric in shape.
- heterogangliate
- heteracanth
- Inconsistent, irregular, or intermittent.
- heterochylia
- heterodynamic
- Alternating.
- heterogamous
- heteroclitic
Synonyms of hetero-
Antonyms
Forms of hetero-
| alternative before-vowel | heter- |
|---|
Origin of hetero-
Learned borrowing from Ancient Greek ἕτερος (héteros, “other, another, different”).
Words formed from hetero-
- heteracanth
- heterobifunctional
- heterobimetallic
- heteroblastic
- heterobrochate
- heterocellular
- heterochiral
- heterochromatic
- heterochromia
- heterochromous
- heterochronous
- heteroclitic
- heterocolonial
- heterodichogamy
- heterodisaccharide
- heterodisperse
- heterofermentation
- heterofermentative
- heterofunctional
- heterogamous
- heterogender
- heterogeneic
- heteroglossia
- heteroglot
- heteroglycoside
- heterogony
- heterogram
- heteroaddition
- heteroalkene
- heteroallene
- heteroanalogue
- heteroarene
- heteroaromatic
- heteroarotinoid
- heteroaryl
- heteroatom
- heteroatomic
- heterobonded
- heterocumulene
- heterocyclase
- heterocycle
- heterocyclic
- heterocyclical
- heterocyclisation
- heterocyclization
- heterocyclized
- heterocycloalkane
- heteroelement
- heterofullerene
- heteroactivation
- heteroagglomerate
- heteroagglomeration
- heteroaggregate
- heteroalkyl
- heteroassociate
- heteroassociation
- heteroassociative
- heteroassociativity
- heterocatenation
- heterochaperone
Questions about hetero-
- What does hetero- mean?
- Hetero- means varied, heterogeneous; a set that has variety with respect to the root.
- What part of speech is hetero-?
- Hetero- is a prefix.
Words near hetero- in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: hetero- (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-hetero-.wav.
Cite this entry: “hetero-.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/hetero-. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.