anomalous
Americanadjective
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deviating from or inconsistent with the common order, form, or rule; irregular; abnormal.
Advanced forms of life may be anomalous in the universe.
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not fitting into a common or familiar type, classification, or pattern; unusual.
He held an anomalous position in the art world.
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incongruous or inconsistent.
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Grammar. irregular.
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
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); an- 1, homo-, -ous
Explanation
Something that deviates from the norm is anomalous. Something anomalous can be good, such as an exciting new direction in music or art. But that anomalously low score on your math test? Not so good. To find the origins of the word anomalous we can go back to the Greek anṓmalos, meaning "uneven or irregular." Something that is anomalous is not just different; it is also unexpected, and may even be completely inconsistent with the norm. For example, the recent discovery of ice, and therefore water, on the moon was anomalous to all previous ideas that the moon was lifeless.
Vocabulary lists containing anomalous
Stories of Ourselves
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"Thomas Jefferson: The Best of Enemies," Vocabulary from the history article
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Lesson 2
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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 tiny deviation is known as the "anomalous magnetic moment," or g−2.
From Science Daily • May 19, 2026
Footage from Iraq, Syria and the United Arab Emirates, shows what the Pentagon's website calls "unresolved unidentified anomalous phenomenon".
From BBC • May 8, 2026
France’s national weather service is investigating anomalous temperature spikes at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport, leading to lucrative Polymarket payoffs.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 23, 2026
Ireland is an anomalous country in several different ways.
From Salon • Apr. 19, 2026
Furthermore, since perceptions tend to become realities, the natural tendency of the mass media to accentuate the anomalous, combined with an innumerate society’s taste for such extremes, could conceivably have quite dire consequences.
From "Innumeracy: Mathematical Illiteracy and Its Consequences" by John Allen Paulos
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.
