aberrant

[ uh-ber-uhnt, ab-er- ]

See synonyms for: aberrant aberrants aberrance aberrancy on Thesaurus.com

adjective

departing from the right, normal, or usual course.
deviating from the ordinary, usual, or normal type; exceptional; abnormal.

noun

an aberrant person, thing, group, etc.

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

Other words for aberrant

1	wandering
2	divergent, unusual

See synonyms for aberrant on Thesaurus.com

Other words from aberrant

ab·er·rance, ab·er·ran·cy, noun
ab·er·rant·ly, adverb

Words that may be confused with aberrant

aberrant , abhorrent

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use aberrant in a sentence

It’s the political equivalent of a layup, rejecting wild and obviously untrue claims as bizarre and aberrant.
The Republican Party tries to figure out the path forward | Philip Bump | February 2, 2021 | Washington Post
"Gravitational interference X40, gyroscopic aberrancy one minute 29," he called.
Astounding Stories of Super-Science, August 1930 | Various

British Dictionary definitions for aberrant

aberrant

/ (æˈbɛrənt) /

adjective

deviating from the normal or usual type, as certain animals from the group in which they are classified
behaving in an abnormal or untypical way

deviating from truth, morality, etc

Origin of aberrant

rare before c19: from the present participle of Latin aberrāre to wander away

Derived forms of aberrant

aberrance or aberrancy, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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