anomalous

[ uh-nom-uh-luhs ]

See synonyms for anomalous on Thesaurus.com

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.

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, adverb
a·nom·a·lous·ness, noun

Words that may be confused with anomalous

anomalous , anonymous, euonymus, unanimous

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

How to use anomalous in a sentence

By the sweat of their brow — Science News, January 23, 1971Polywater, or anomalous water, has provoked a continuing controversy among chemists.
50 years ago, scientists poked holes in the existence of polywater | Erin Garcia de Jesus | January 22, 2021 | Science News
There are only two possibilities for the anomalous result if the equipment used in the experiments and their calibrations all check out after careful scrutiny.
A Breakthrough in Measuring the Building Blocks of Nature - Facts So Romantic | Subodh Patil | January 8, 2021 | Nautilus
You need to make sure that you’re selecting non-anomalous results.
Five SEO tips that capture holiday attention and boost sales | Houston Barnett-Gearhart | December 8, 2020 | Search Engine Watch
Well, a lot of it has to do with how GDP is calculated and an anomalously high reading in the third quarter.
Why Wall Street Is Projecting Slower Growth | Matthew Zeitlin | December 6, 2012 | THE DAILY BEAST
But the fact anomalously incensed him as a slight to the girl, who might have been still more sacrificed by Jeff's constancy.
The Landlord at Lion's Head, Complete | William Dean Howells

If he did not have a common soul in him, he had a subtle something that somehow anomalously did its duty.
Moby Dick; or The Whale | Herman Melville
In it a convoluted structure replaced and rendered intelligible the anomalously rifted mass seen by Bond in 1847.
A Popular History of Astronomy During the Nineteenth Century | Agnes M. (Agnes Mary) Clerke

British Dictionary definitions for anomalous

anomalous

/ (əˈnɒmələs) /

adjective

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

Origin of anomalous

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

Derived forms of anomalous

anomalously, adverb
anomalousness, noun

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

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