deviance
noun
deviant quality or state.
deviancy
-
a variation of
deviance.
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.
But this specific language about "deviancy" has never appeared in warnings.
From BBC ● Feb. 21, 2026
The observation eventually spawned Erikson’s first book, “Wayward Puritans,” in 1966, which argued that deviancy can serve a positive function in social groups.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 18, 2025
I think a lot about the old phrase “defining deviancy down.”
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 25, 2023
We are in that sort sliding trajectory that the late Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan once described as “defining deviancy downward.”
From Salon ● Aug. 1, 2017
But once they did the result was sparkling music laced with a delicious dose of acerbic deviancy.
From New York Times ● May 4, 2015
