abnormal
Americanadjective
-
not normal; deviating from the usual or typical; extraordinary
-
informal odd in behaviour or appearance; strange
Related Words
See irregular.
Other Word Forms
- abnormally adverb
- abnormalness noun
- superabnormal adjective
- superabnormally adverb
Etymology
Origin of abnormal
First recorded in 1850–55; ab- + normal; replacing anormal, from Medieval Latin anōrmālus, variant of anōmālus anomalous, influenced by Latin norma norm
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.
The cancerous plasma cells produce large amounts of an abnormal antibody called M protein, which builds up in bone marrow and forms tumors in bones, like the one in my hip.
From Slate • Mar. 29, 2026
This process helps the body remove damaged or abnormal cells and is essential for maintaining healthy tissue.
From Science Daily • Mar. 25, 2026
A Global Times editorial published on Thursday said the lack of people-to-people exchanges between the countries and the long absence of a US presidential visit to China was "abnormal and should not be the case".
From BBC • Mar. 25, 2026
Tedros said the International Atomic Energy Agency was looking into the strikes, and "no indications of abnormal or increased off-site radiation levels have been reported".
From Barron's • Mar. 22, 2026
It was abnormal, not in the nature of children, not human.
From "The Woman Warrior" by Maxine Hong Kingston
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
