adjective
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deviating from the normal or usual type, as certain animals from the group in which they are classified
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behaving in an abnormal or untypical way
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deviating from truth, morality, etc
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of aberrant
First recorded in 1820–30, aberrant is from the Latin word aberrant- (stem of aberrāns, present participle of aberrāre to deviate). See ab-, errant
Explanation
Use the adjective aberrant to describe unusual conduct. Sitting in a bathtub and singing show tunes all day long might be considered aberrant behavior. For conduct that departs from the norm, aberrant is at hand to describe it if you want to set a formal, or even scientific tone to the discussion. You can put the accent on either the first syllable (AB-er-ent) or the second (uh-BER-ent); both pronunciations are acceptable. The Latin root aberrare means "to go astray," from the prefix ab- "off, away" plus errare "to wander." Other descendants of errare in English, like error and errant, have that double -r- and also refer to something that's either not wanted or not expected.
Vocabulary lists containing aberrant
Commonly Confused Words, List 1
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The Stars Beneath Our Feet
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Vocabulary Video Contest (2013) - List 1
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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.
Aberrant RNA methylation has been associated with cancers and other human diseases, making "writers" an attractive therapeutic target.
From Science Daily • Apr. 10, 2024
Aberrant temperatures with searing heat and extended drought, or heavy wind and rain, crippling snowstorms and treacherous ice might just be our new normal.
From Seattle Times • Aug. 12, 2023
Four weeks into the trial, participants in both groups showed improvements in social withdrawal, according to a modified portion of the Aberrant Behavior Checklist, the trial’s primary outcome measure.
From Scientific American • Oct. 14, 2021
Aberrant results streamed in, but only one surprised the resident.
From New York Times • Sep. 8, 2021
For many years Keith Waterhouse operated an Association for the Abolition of the Aberrant Apostrophe in the Daily Mirror and then the Daily Mail, cheered on by literally millions of readers.
From "Eats, Shoots & Leaves" by Author
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.
