deviant

American  

[dee-vee-uhnt] / ˈdi vi ənt /

adjective

1. deviating or departing from the norm; characterized by deviation.

   deviant social behavior.

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noun

1. a person or thing that deviates or departs markedly from the accepted norm.

deviant British  

/ ˈdiːvɪənt /

adjective

1. deviating, as from what is considered acceptable behaviour

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noun

1. a person whose behaviour, esp sexual behaviour, deviates from what is considered to be acceptable

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nondeviant
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of deviant

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Late Latin dēviant-, stem of dēviāns “straying,” present participle of dēviāre “to stray, turn from the road”; see deviate

Explanation

A deviant is someone whose behavior falls far outside of society's norms; as an adjective, deviant can describe the behavior itself. For example, a fifty-year-old punk rocker has a deviant appearance, compared to his peers. That aging punk deviates, or departs from the norm, of people his age. Both deviant and deviate come from the Latin word deviare, meaning "to turn out of the way." Deviants experience this turning away from society, either by choice, or in the case of someone who has harmed another, perhaps by sexual abuse, by being cast out by people who want nothing to do with them.

Example Sentences

Once a slur that implied homosexuality was shamefully deviant, “queer” was “reclaimed” in the 1980s by gay activists as a synonym for “gay.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 2, 2026

That gave people an excuse to start pulling the masks down and indulging in the deviant behaviors often celebrated by drill rappers.

From Washington Times • Oct. 10, 2023

It determined that Vanier and Philippe’s deviant practices didn’t extend beyond the core “sect” at the original community in northern France.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 28, 2023

The agency's enforcement division is not only responsible for upholding environmental laws and ticketing deviant poachers and recreational vehicle drivers, but it also has full police powers on state lands.

From Salon • Feb. 19, 2023

Another deviant, already tried and found guilty, was ready to be exiled from Earth and imprisoned on one of the Penal Asteroids.

From The Penal Cluster by Garrett, Randall