HOMOGENEOUS and HETEROGENOUS are antonyms. The prefix homo means the same. In contrast, the prefix HETERO means different. So HOMOGENEOUS describes things that are uniform and lack diversity while HETEROGENOUS describes things that are not uniform and feature diversity.
Both words have been frequently appearing as correct AND incorrect answers for recent vocabulary in context questions. For example, during the 1950s, beatniks were a group of nonconformists who eschewed or avoided middle class lifestyles. They refused to live in HOMOGENEOUS suburbs filled with look-alike “square” homes. Instead, they preferred to live in HETEROGENEOUS urban neighborhoods like Greenwich Village in New York City.
Unfortunately, current examples of HOMOGENEOUS and HETEROGENEOUS have not been as interesting or straightforward as the question about Beatnik lifestyles. For example, a recent vocabulary in context question described the clustering of cutlery manufacturing firms in Sheffield, UK. A HETEROGENEOUS mix of economic factors produced this HOMOGENEOUS concentration of firms in one location. Another vocabulary in context question pointed out that river deltas are remarkably mutable or diverse landforms. As a result, they are NOT HOMOGENEOUS!
One final point: Don’t be confused by the words HOMOGENEITY and HETEROGENEITY. They are simply different forms of HOMOGENEOUS and HETEROGENEOUS.
HOMOGENEOUS – something that is uniform and lacks diversity
HETEROGENEOUS – something that is not unform and features diversity