anomaly

[uh-nom-uh-lee]

noun

plural

anomalies 

1. a deviation from the common rule, type, arrangement, or form.

   Synonyms: exception, aberration, abnormality

2. an anomalous person or thing; one that is abnormal or does not fit in.

   With his quiet nature, he was an anomaly in his exuberant family.

   Synonyms: exception, aberration, abnormality

3. an odd, peculiar, or strange condition, situation, quality, etc.

4. an incongruity or inconsistency.

5. Astronomy.,  a quantity measured in degrees, defining the position of an orbiting body with respect to the point at which it is nearest to or farthest from its primary.

6. Meteorology.,  the amount of deviation of a meteorological quantity from the accepted normal value of that quantity.

7. Grammar.,  irregularity.

anomaly

/ əˈnɒməlɪ /

noun

1. something anomalous

2. deviation from the normal or usual order, type, etc; irregularity

3. astronomy

   1. Also called: true anomaly. the angle between a planet, the sun, and the previous perihelion of the planet

   2. Also called: eccentric anomaly. the angle between the periapsis of a particular point on a circle round the orbit as seen from the centre of the orbit. This point is obtained by producing a perpendicular to the major axis of the ellipse through the orbiting body until it reaches the circumference of the circle

   3. Also called: mean anomaly. the angle between the periapsis of an orbit and the position of an imaginary body orbiting at a constant angular speed and in the same period as the real orbiting body

4. geology

   1. Also called: gravity anomaly. a deviation from the normal value of gravity at the earth's surface, caused by density differences at depth, for example those caused by a buried mineral body

   2. Also called: magnetic anomaly. a magnetic field, for example one produced by a buried mineral body, that deviates from an expected or standard value, usually that of the earth's magnetic field

Other Word Forms

• anomalistic adjective
• anomalistically adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of anomaly¹

First recorded in 1565–75; from Latin anōmalia, from Greek anōmalía, equivalent to anṓmal(os) “irregular” + -ia noun suffix; anomalous, -ia

Example Sentences

Stella said the problem was caused by "an anomaly in the behaviour of the car, rather than it being the outcome of an excessive or unreasonable chase of performance".

Read more on BBC

It will, according to Nick Card, involve "keyhole surgery" to open a small trench to investigate "this anomaly".

Read more on BBC

The researchers estimate that the center of the anomaly could pass beneath the New York region within about 15 million years.

Read more on Science Daily

Among other factors, they’ve identified genetic anomalies that may produce a predisposition to the condition.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

AI can detect anomalies in real time and accelerate incident response from hours to minutes.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• aberration 
• abnormality 
• deviation 
• inconsistency 
• irregularity 
• oddity 
• rarity