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
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
Explanation
If you get a snowstorm in the middle of July, you could say that you are experiencing “abnormal weather.” Something that is abnormal is out of the ordinary, or not typical. Abnormal is a combination of the Latin prefix ab which means “away from,” and the English word normal. It essentially means “not normal,” or "unusual.” Abnormal implies that whatever is “not normal” is also undesirable. However, abnormal is sometimes used in a positive context. The phrase “abnormal intelligence,” for instance, usually refers to someone with especially high intelligence.
Vocabulary lists containing abnormal
Lesson 1
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Cormac McCarthy's "The Road"
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"Modern Automotive Technology," Vocabulary from Section 6
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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.
Abnormal levels of groundwater and soil pollution were detected near a 3M site in Zwijndrecht, outside the port city of Antwerp, in 2021.
From Barron's • Feb. 24, 2026
Abnormal heartbeat patterns, which have no symptoms but can increase stroke risk, were 3.5 times more detectable with the AI stethoscopes, while heart valve disease was 1.9 times more detectable.
From BBC • Aug. 30, 2025
Abnormal cholesterol levels seen among participants in the current study were also twice as high as abnormal levels seen in the general population of U.S. teens and young adults.
From Science Daily • Mar. 6, 2024
Abnormal heart rhythms are nothing new for me, so I didn’t panic when this happened late last year.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 19, 2023
Lots of Abnormal laughs, served with sprouts on the side, is what!
From "Feed" by M.T. Anderson
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.
