abnormal
Americanadjective
-
not normal; deviating from the usual or typical; extraordinary
-
informal odd in behaviour or appearance; strange
Related Words
See irregular.
Other Word Forms
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
Explanation
If you get a snowstorm in the middle of July, you could say that you are experiencing “abnormal weather.” Something that is abnormal is out of the ordinary, or not typical. Abnormal is a combination of the Latin prefix ab which means “away from,” and the English word normal. It essentially means “not normal,” or "unusual.” Abnormal implies that whatever is “not normal” is also undesirable. However, abnormal is sometimes used in a positive context. The phrase “abnormal intelligence,” for instance, usually refers to someone with especially high intelligence.
Vocabulary lists containing abnormal
Lesson 1
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Cormac McCarthy's "The Road"
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"Modern Automotive Technology," Vocabulary from Section 6
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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.
“This is abnormal — I haven’t seen anything like this in my entire career,” Roos told MarketWatch.
From MarketWatch • May 17, 2026
“It’s not super abnormal for this time of year, but it will be warmer for much of the area,” said Bryan Lewis, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Oxnard.
From Los Angeles Times • May 6, 2026
The death of a three-year-old boy at a Glasgow hospital could have been avoided if an abnormal blood test result had been acted on sooner, a sheriff has ruled.
From BBC • May 5, 2026
Pinto said the swelling was caused by a large quantity of both fat and ascites, an abnormal buildup of fluid in the abdominal cavity often linked to cirrhosis of the liver.
From Barron's • Apr. 23, 2026
For several minutes, she did nothing to suggest abnormal intelligence and offered no recognizable reaction to any questions.
From "Fablehaven" by Brandon Mull
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.
