Deflect, deviate, and diverge are said of any turning away; deviate commonly of a slight and gradual movement, diverge of a more sharp and decided one.

J. C. Fernald, English Synonyms and Antonyms (1914)

Example sentences

vary Vary your cardio exercises to keep it interesting.
differ These sentences only differ with respect to tense.
depart At what time does the taxi to the airport depart?
deviate Do not deviate from the standard operating procedure.
divide It's better to divide the corpse into five pieces.

Popularity over time

Word	1850 → 2019	Trend
diverge		rising
vary		steady
differ		steady
depart		steady
deviate		steady
divide		rising

Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.

By length

4 letters: vary², bend¹
5 letters: trend¹, stray¹
6 letters: branch¹, divide², differ², depart², wander², swerve¹
7 letters: deflect², deviate³, radiate³, digress²
8 letters: separate³, disagree³
10 letters: divaricate

The small number after each word is its number of syllables (vary² = 2 syllables).

In other languages

Français: diverger
Italiano: divergere