adjective
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deviating from the normal or usual type, as certain animals from the group in which they are classified
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behaving in an abnormal or untypical way
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deviating from truth, morality, etc
Other Word Forms
- aberrance noun
- aberrancy noun
- aberrantly adverb
Etymology
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
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.
"This is just an aberrant episode in an otherwise productive life," she said, according to the Reuters news agency.
From BBC • Aug. 27, 2025
Four dynamics are highlighted here: self-excuses, blame-shifting, gaslighting and normalizing aberrant behavior.
From Salon • Nov. 9, 2024
He hoped doing so might help him improve treatments for cardiac arrhythmias — aberrant rhythms of the heart — that can prove dangerous and even deadly.
From Los Angeles Times • May 20, 2024
The collaborative study conducted by Tampere University and Tampere University Hospital examined how aberrant DNA methylation distorts cellular developmental trajectories and thereby contributes to the formation of AT/RT.
From Science Daily • Apr. 15, 2024
On a world level, the eruption at the Norte Chico was improbable, even aberrant.
From "1491" by Charles C. Mann
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.
