deviance

American  

[dee-vee-uhns] / ˈdi vi əns /

Also deviancy

noun

1. deviant quality or state.

2. deviant behavior.

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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

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Etymology

Origin of deviance

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

Explanation

Deviance refers to a state that is veering away from the norm. Wearing a chicken suit to work would definitely be an example of deviance, unless of course you're a mascot. If you know that deviating means to depart from what's normal, you won't be surprised that deviance is a condition of abnormal or aberrant behavior. Deviance includes behavior that is considered weird, odd, and strange. Sometimes, deviance could include illegal behavior. Since people don't agree on what's normal, they don't agree on what counts as deviance either.

Example Sentences

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 • Feb. 23, 2024

In the most basic sense, they have normalized deviance and embraced antisocial and other anti-democratic values and beliefs as a function of what psychologists have described as “malignant normality”.

From Salon • Oct. 20, 2023

“Because any time there is a deviance in regards to security protocols, that should be taken serious, it should be investigated,” Ms. Omar said.

From Washington Times • Jan. 16, 2023

“A place where it is widely known I am four or five standard deviations off center, and despite such deviance, my personal and professional relationships carry on, unaffected.”

From New York Times • May 29, 2021

Without equality, eugenics would inevitably falter on the false premise that social ills, such as vagrancy, pauperism, deviance, alcoholism, and feeblemindedness were genetic ills—while, in fact, they merely reflected inequality.

From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee