abnormal

[ab-nawr-muhl]

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.

abnormal

/ æbˈnɔːməl /

adjective

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

2. informal,  odd in behaviour or appearance; strange

Other Word Forms

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of abnormal¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of abnormal¹

C19: _ab- ¹ + _normal , replacing earlier anormal from Medieval Latin anormalus, a blend of Late Latin anōmalus _anomalous + Latin abnormis departing from a rule

Synonym Study

See irregular.

Example Sentences

Like CAR-T cells, these modified immune cells can be programmed to recognize and attack cancer, but they rely on a different type of immune cell that naturally targets abnormal or infected cells.

Read more on Science Daily

It feels abnormal, unnatural to walk away from family to most of us.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

“Core goods prices may be slightly stronger, but we do not expect much abnormal strength that would be suggestive of substantial tariff pass through.”

Read more on Barron's

“The data history tells us the denial rates of the mid-2000s should be the norm. What we see today is abnormal.”

Read more on MarketWatch

A 2023 study of 21 companies that offer direct-to-consumer tests cautioned that the trend raises ethical issues, including the use of personal data and the potential lack of follow-up for abnormal results.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

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