deviance
Americannoun
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Also called: deviancy. the act or state of being deviant
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statistics a measure of the degree of fit of a statistical model compared to that of a more complete model
Etymology
Origin of deviance
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.
Vocabulary lists containing deviance
Hunger of Memory
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The Black Girl Survives in This One
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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.
Q. Deviance in my head: I have a coworker who is very polite, fun to be around, and treats me with respect.
From Slate • Nov. 28, 2017
In 2013, the report says, Patti Adler, a sociology professor at the University of Colorado Boulder, was investigated for her class Deviance in U.S.
From New York Times • Mar. 24, 2016
Media scholar Andy Medhurst outlined it in an important 1991 article, Batman, Deviance and Camp.
From The Guardian • May 28, 2012
Definitions 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.
