View synonyms for abnormal

abnormal

[ab-nawr-muhl]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

adjective

not normal, average, typical, or usual; deviating from a standard.
abnormal powers of concentration; an abnormal amount of snow; abnormal behavior.
Synonyms: odd, unnatural, deviant, irregular, aberrant, anomalous
extremely or excessively large.
abnormal profit.

abnormal

/ æbˈnɔːməl /

adjective

not normal; deviating from the usual or typical; extraordinary
informal, odd in behaviour or appearance; strange

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Other Word Forms

abnormally adverb
abnormalness noun
superabnormal adjective
superabnormally adverb

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Word History and Origins

Origin of abnormal¹

First recorded in 1850–55; ab- + normal; replacing anormal, from Medieval Latin anōrmālus, variant of anōmālus anomalous, influenced by Latin norma norm

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Word History and Origins

Origin of abnormal¹

C19: _ab- ¹ + _normal , replacing earlier anormal from Medieval Latin anormalus, a blend of Late Latin anōmalus _anomalous + Latin abnormis departing from a rule

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Synonym Study

See irregular.

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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.

Brazil's Health Minister Alexandre Padilha has described the situation as "abnormal and unlike anything else in our history regarding methanol poisoning in the country".

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“Ayala was also hypertensive and displayed abnormal tachycardia,” immigration officials wrote in the statement.

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The vet that Alan took Smokey to initially found nothing abnormal, but when his condition deteriorated, scans revealed a blockage in his intestines.

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He focused on the patient's abnormal behaviour, which generated a lower response category, although the system also retained the higher category response in tandem.

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Related Words

Abney level abnormalcy

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