anomalous

[ uh-nom-uh-luhs ]

/ əˈnɒm ə ləs /

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adjective

deviating from or inconsistent with the common order, form, or rule; irregular; abnormal: Advanced forms of life may be anomalous in the universe.

not fitting into a common or familiar type, classification, or pattern; unusual: He held an anomalous position in the art world.

incongruous or inconsistent.

Grammar. irregular.

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Origin of anomalous

First recorded in 1640–50; from Medieval Latin, Late Latin anōmalus, or directly from Greek anṓmalos “irregular,” equivalent to an- “not, lacking”an-¹ + homalós “even,” with ō by analogy with other Greek privatives (cf. anopheles); see an-¹, homo-, -ous

OTHER WORDS FROM anomalous

a·nom·a·lous·ly, adverba·nom·a·lous·ness, noun

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH anomalous

anomalous , anonymous, euonymus, unanimous

Words nearby anomalous

anomalies, anomalism, anomalistic, anomalistic month, anomalistic year, anomalous, anomalous dispersion, anomalous monism, anomaly, anomia, anomie

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

How to use anomalous in a sentence

After an administration that actively hollowed out international institutions and goodwill, a renewed commitment to the world is necessary to show that this behavior was anomalous.
Now 60 years old, the Peace Corps can be more than a Cold War artifact|Lacy Feigh|March 5, 2021|Washington Post
Women remained relegated to anomalous, feminized, supplemental categories and remained forgotten in broader narratives of popular music.
Fifty years later, ‘Tapestry’s’ hope and optimism still resonates|Tanya Pearson|February 26, 2021|Washington Post
Disturbances in the planet’s magnetosphere, which are usually caused by anomalous outer-space events like solar flares, might mess with the inner workings of the brain, scrambling our perceptions in strange ways.
Why do we see ghosts?|Jake Bittle|October 6, 2020|Popular-Science
Pixie enables engineering teams to fundamentally rethink their monitoring strategy as it presents a vision of the future where we detect anomalous behavior and make operational decisions inside the infrastructure layer itself.
Pixie Labs raises $9.15M Series A round for its Kubernetes observability platform|Frederic Lardinois|October 1, 2020|TechCrunch

While some larger, older financial institutions have been slower to adapt their rule-based legacy systems, smaller, newer firms are using machine learning to look out for anomalous activity, whatever it might be.
The pandemic has changed how criminals hide their cash—and AI tools are trying to sniff it out|Will Heaven|August 6, 2020|MIT Technology Review
No matter the name, the purported “anomalous primate” has long been the subject of a cycle of stories and skepticism.
Sorry Bigfoot Truthers: Yetis Aren’t Real|Elizabeth Picciuto|July 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Alito opened the door by questioning the “anomalous” Abood precedent, which lets states coerce union members into paying dues.
The Conservative Case for Unions After the Harris v. Quinn Decision|James Poulos|July 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The bank acknowledges that it has some problems, but says they are anomalous.
The Money-Laundering Vatican Bank Comes Clean|Barbie Latza Nadeau|May 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The computers were being fed anomalous data because of a failed air speed gauge.
The Baseless Rush to Blame the Pilots of Flight 370|Clive Irving|March 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
History has not decided about Carter because he is so anomalous.
A George W. Bush Comeback?|Lloyd Grove|April 24, 2013|DAILY BEAST
He admitted that this was an anomalous course of legislation, and that the board would be entrusted with extraordinary powers.
The History of England in Three Volumes, Vol.III.|E. Farr and E. H. Nolan
A mongrel and anomalous species like the German Meerkatzen—monkey-cats.
The Superstitions of Witchcraft|Howard Williams
From that time on Quin's status in the family became less anomalous.
Quin|Alice Hegan Rice
At the time of the arrival of Pizarro, a curious condition, anomalous in their records, had arisen.
South American Fights and Fighters|Cyrus Townsend Brady
But, let me repeat, I was in an anomalous condition of mind, with my nerves set on edge by the events of the evening.
The Extraordinary Adventures of Arsene Lupin, Gentleman-Burglar|Maurice Leblanc

British Dictionary definitions for anomalous

anomalous

/ (əˈnɒmələs) /

adjective

deviating from the normal or usual order, type, etc; irregular, abnormal, or incongruous

Derived forms of anomalous

anomalously, adverbanomalousness, noun

Word Origin for anomalous

C17: from Late Latin anōmalus, from Greek anōmalos uneven, inconsistent, from an- + homalos even, from homos one and the same

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

anomalous

Origin of anomalous

OTHER WORDS FROM anomalous

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH anomalous

Words nearby anomalous

Words related to anomalous

How to use anomalous in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for anomalous

Derived forms of anomalous

Word Origin for anomalous