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Synonyms

deviance

American  
[dee-vee-uhns] / ˈdi vi əns /
Also deviancy

noun

  1. deviant quality or state.

  2. deviant behavior.


deviance British  
/ ˈdiːvɪəns /

noun

  1. Also called: deviancy.  the act or state of being deviant

  2. statistics a measure of the degree of fit of a statistical model compared to that of a more complete model

"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

Etymology

Origin of deviance

First recorded in 1940–45; devi(ant) + -ance

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.

Risky decisions can became routine at any workplace, she suggests, labeling this effect the “normalization of deviance.”

From The Wall Street Journal

Referring to an assessment of Mr Pelicot made by a psychiatrist earlier in the trial, Ms Chabaud said that the defendant presented "multiple sexual deviances".

From BBC

For several proteins, there were no measurable deviances in the morning and evening levels no matter whether the mothers pumped or breastfed.

From Science Daily

The character’s deviance from all authority and especially male authority lives in her feminism, her clothes and her music taste.

From Salon

The study also showed that the brainstem can utilize other features of bat calls for deviance detection, such as rapid changes in frequency or volume, in addition to differences in pitch.

From Science Daily