deviation
Americannoun
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deviations
plural
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the act of deviating.
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departure from a standard or norm.
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Statistics. the difference between one of a set of values and some fixed value, usually the mean of the set.
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Navigation. the error of a magnetic compass, as that of a ship, on a given heading as a result of local magnetism.
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Optics.
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Also called deflection. the bending of rays of light away from a straight line.
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departure or divergence from an established dogma or ideology, especially a Communist one.
noun
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an act or result of deviating
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statistics the difference between an observed value in a series of such values and their arithmetic mean
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the error of a compass due to local magnetic disturbances
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of deviation
First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English, from Middle French, from Medieval Latin dēviātiōn-, stem of dēviātiō; equivalent to deviate + -ion
Explanation
Anything that varies from the accepted norm or standard is called a deviation. It is common in math and science, but it can refer to anything that differs from the expected. Deviation in nature is an important part of evolution. When something causes a creature’s DNA to change, it creates a deviation, or a changed characteristic. If the deviation makes the organism better able to survive, it passes the change on to its descendants. People are naturally given to change, so there are deviations in critical thought as well as in math and science. Those deviations often account for the creativity that gives rise to new ideas, or theories, or even musical styles.
Vocabulary lists containing deviation
30 GRE Words Beginning with "D"
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"Tinker v. Des Moines": Excerpts from Justice Fortas's Opinion
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This Week In Words: August 31–September 6, 2019
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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.
See Examples For:
Li fled to Mexico and then China to avoid arrest, and Xuan and Zhang are accused of helping her, according to a criminal complaint and the prosecutors’ bail deviation motion.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026
They then used standard deviation to measure how far each group differed from the overall study average.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 14, 2026
The low storage levels reflect a sharp deviation from Europe’s energy security strategy, which was drafted four years ago when Russia’s invasion of Ukraine slashed Europe’s fuel supplies and sparked an energy crisis.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026
Gittens added there had been a "significant deviation" from the expected standards of care and "missed opportunities".
From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026
Despite generations of effort, this proved illusory, because dip and deviation change unpredictably over time.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
“Relativity seems pretty solid. We haven’t seen any deviations from that,” said Katie Mack, Hawking chair in cosmology and science communication at the Perimeter Institute.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2026
Ode engineers are now helping Chamberlain test software that can learn a family’s routines, like when they arrive home every day, and flag deviations to the homeowner.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
The standard deviations swell to 17% for sales and marketing costs, 25% for general and administrative expenses, and 36% for depreciation.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
Frequent deviations from intrinsic value represent an opportunity for investors who can recognize patterns and capitalize, Ali said.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 25, 2026
Aside from the Cap’n Crunch whistle hidden in the kitchen, I found no surprises or deviations from the original game.
From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
