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View synonyms for anomaly

anomaly

[uh-nom-uh-lee]

noun

plural

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

  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.

  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 anomalythe angle between a planet, the sun, and the previous perihelion of the planet

    2. Also called: eccentric anomalythe 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 anomalythe 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 anomalya 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 anomalya 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

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Other Word Forms

  • anomalistic adjective
  • anomalistically adverb
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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
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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

It was exactly the type of anomaly that explains how the Brewers finished with the best record in baseball this season.

By delving back in time in the ice there, researchers hope to find out why these glaciers have resisted the general planetary warming of recent decades -- and whether this so-called "Karakoram anomaly" could be ending.

Read more on Barron's

Shortly after, engineers discovered that the vessel for the Tihange 2 reactor contained manufacturing anomalies.

It’s helping them with fraud detection or anomaly detection in IT systems.

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But he says anomalies like these need to be sorted out.

Read more on BBC

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anomalous monismanomia