abnormal

American  

[ab-nawr-muhl] / æbˈnɔr məl /

adjective

1. 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

2. extremely or excessively large.

   abnormal profit.

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abnormal British  

/ æbˈnɔːməl /

adjective

1. not normal; deviating from the usual or typical; extraordinary

2. informal odd in behaviour or appearance; strange

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Related Words

See irregular.

Other Word Forms

• abnormally adverb
• abnormalness noun
• superabnormal adjective
• superabnormally adverb

Etymology

Origin of abnormal

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

Example Sentences

Mirroring the narrative of the musical, the more we look, the more we not only become accustomed to Auggie’s face, but we cease to see it as abnormal.

From The Wall Street Journal

These include head injuries related to trauma or stroke, infections such as meningitis, brain tumors, abnormal blood vessel structures, and inherited genetic conditions.

From Science Daily

“I would attribute the stock’s abnormal move to market-speculation activities, potentially related to the options market,” he said in emailed comments.

From MarketWatch

This work provides new insight into how the body maintains temperature balance and may help explain disorders linked to abnormal cold sensitivity.

From Science Daily

Oracle is “paying the price for the abnormal speed in which investment is required to meet current AI demand trends,” Bank of America analyst Brad Sills wrote in a note last week.

From MarketWatch

Related Words

• aberrant
• anomalous
• atypical
• bizarre
• exceptional
• extraordinary
• irregular
• odd
• peculiar
• strange
• uncommon
• unexpected
• unnatural
• unusual
• weird