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.
Of the 28 files about unidentified anomalous phenomena released Friday, four of them detail bizarre sightings from Catalina during the 1940s and 1950s, including one of “flying saucers” spotted by three Boy Scouts.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 23, 2026
Among the early advances was the prediction of the crystal anomalous Hall effect, a phenomenon involving electrical transport in certain crystal structures.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 18, 2026
Here’s a nominee for anomalous story of the year: New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s administration is suing a personal injury law firm for phony injury claims.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026
A major goal of the study was to determine which of two possible mechanisms was responsible for the anomalous oscillations.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 5, 2026
Booker T. Washington had praised this anomalous situation when he had visited Durham back in 1910.
From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
