Meaning & use
people with different backgrounds
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Meanings
phrasefixed phrase
A group of individuals whose family, cultural, educational, or social histories are not the same.
Grammar: Used as a plural noun phrase; takes a plural verb: People with different backgrounds bring new ideas.
Patterns
- people with different backgrounds
- people from different backgrounds
- work with people with different backgrounds
Our team includes people with different backgrounds, so we see problems from many angles.
The city is proud of its schools, where people with different backgrounds learn together.
She enjoys meeting people with different backgrounds when she travels for work.
phrasefixed phrase
Individuals whose ethnic, religious, or national origins are not the same.
Grammar: Often follows verbs like 'include', 'attract', or 'welcome'; the phrase itself does not change form.
Patterns
- attract people with different backgrounds
- welcome people with different backgrounds
- a mix of people with different backgrounds
The festival attracts people with different backgrounds from across the region.
We want to welcome people with different backgrounds into our community center.
A mix of people with different backgrounds makes the neighborhood lively.
Common combinations
- people with different backgrounds
- The company hires people with different backgrounds to improve creativity.
- people from different backgrounds
- People from different backgrounds often celebrate holidays in their own ways.
- work with people with different backgrounds
- In this job you will work with people with different backgrounds every day.
- attract people with different backgrounds
- The university tries to attract people with different backgrounds to its science program.
- a mix of people with different backgrounds
- The choir is a mix of people with different backgrounds and ages.
Synonyms and how they differ
- diverse people
- More general and often used in formal writing; it can describe any kind of variety, not just background.
- people from varied backgrounds
- Very close in meaning, but 'varied' emphasizes the range of differences rather than just 'not the same'.
- multicultural group
- Focuses specifically on culture and ethnicity, while 'different backgrounds' can also include education or social class.
Opposites
Word family
- background noun
- The singular form: a person's family, education, and experience.
- backgrounds noun
- The plural form used in this phrase.
Commonly confused: people with different backgrounds or people with different opinions?
people with different backgrounds vs people with different opinions
This phrase is about views and beliefs, not family or cultural history. Use 'backgrounds' when you mean where someone comes from.
Practice
Which sentence uses the phrase correctly?
Choose one answer.
The phrase is plural and describes a group, so 'The team includes people with different backgrounds' is correct. Option An is wrong because one person cannot have 'backgrounds' in this sense. Option C is ungrammatical because 'a' cannot precede a plural phrase. Option D uses the wrong verb form for a plural subject.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “people with different backgrounds”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.