normalcy

American  

[nawr-muhl-see] / ˈnɔr məl si /

noun

• normalcies
  plural

1. the quality or condition of being normal, as the general economic, political, and social conditions of a nation; normality.

   After months of living in a state of tension, all yearned for a return to normalcy.

---

normalcy Cultural  

1. A word used by President Warren Harding to describe the calm political and social order to which he wished to return the United States after the idealism and commotion of the presidency of Woodrow Wilson.

---

Discover More

Normalcy has been used as a general term for the political climate in the United States in the early 1920s.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• normalcies
  plural

---

Etymology

Origin of normalcy

First recorded in 1855–60; normal + -cy

---

Compare meaning

How does normalcy compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• normalcy vs. normality

---

Explanation

In the early twentieth century, President Warren Harding popularized the word normalcy with his slogan, "Return to normalcy." Harding was referring getting back to normal life after World War I. Since then, the word has been used often to mean "normality." Normalcy is a state of being normal, usual, or expected. When something returns to a state of normalcy, it is returning to the way that it ought to be. It is another word for normality. Some people believe that normalcy should not be used because the word normality is more formally correct, but in the U.S., you'll often see normalcy used. When it comes to choosing one, take your pick. Though Harding's slogan made the word more common, it originates in the field of mathematics.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

normalcy normalcies

Psychologists call this normalcy bias, which is our mind’s assumption that things will continue as they always have.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 13, 2026

As the months drag on since her husband’s arrest, Ortiz has scrambled to maintain a sense of normalcy in her family.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 11, 2026

The milestone is particularly notable because it hints that U.S. borrowing conditions haven’t just returned to a pre-2008-2009 financial crisis normalcy, as some investors have recently suggested.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026

"This state of emergency is not intended to take away normalcy, but to restore it."

From Barron's ● Jun. 20, 2026

Actually, normalcy didn’t seem so bad after my first snafu.

From "The Freedom Writers Diary" by The Freedom Writers

It was little enough to ask for—a return to old values, old relationships, the normalcies of the backwash instead of the freneticisms of the lime-light.

From The First One by H. R. van Dongen

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---

Related Words

• normality
• ordinariness
• uniformity

---