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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
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Words related to anomalous

atypical, unnatural, incongruous, abnormal, peculiar, divergent, aberrant, bizarre, eccentric, exceptional, foreign, inconsistent, irregular, odd, preternatural, prodigious, rare, strange, unorthodox, untypical

Example sentences from the Web for anomalous

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
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