deviate

[ verb dee-vee-eyt; adjective, noun dee-vee-it ]

See synonyms for: deviate deviated deviating on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object),de·vi·at·ed, de·vi·at·ing.

to turn aside, as from a route, way, course, etc.
to depart or swerve, as from a procedure, course of action, or acceptable norm.

to digress, as from a line of thought or reasoning.

verb (used with object),de·vi·at·ed, de·vi·at·ing.

to cause to swerve; turn aside.

adjective

characterized by deviation or departure from an accepted norm or standard, as of behavior.

noun

a person or thing that departs from the accepted norm or standard.
a person whose sexual behavior departs from the norm in a way that is considered socially or morally unacceptable.

Statistics. a variable equal to the difference between a variate and some fixed value, often the mean.

Origin of deviate

1625–35; <Late Latin dēviātus turned from the straight road, past participle of dēviāre.See deviant, -ate¹

synonym study For deviate

1. Deviate, digress, diverge, swerve imply turning or going aside from a path. To deviate is to turn or wander, often by slight degrees, from what is considered the most direct or desirable approach to a given physical, intellectual, or moral end: Fear caused him to deviate from the truth. To digress is primarily to wander from the main theme or topic in writing or speaking: Some authors digress to relate entertaining episodes. Two paths diverge when they proceed from a common point in such directions that the distance between them increases: The sides of an angle diverge from a common point. Their interests gradually diverged. To swerve is to make a sudden or sharp turn from a line or course: The car swerved to avoid striking a pedestrian.

Other words for deviate

1	veer, wander, stray

See synonyms for deviate on Thesaurus.com

Other words from deviate

de·vi·a·ble, adjective
de·vi·a·bil·i·ty [dee-vee-uh-bil-i-tee], /ˌdi vi əˈbɪl ɪ ti/, noun
de·vi·a·tor, noun
non·de·vi·at·ing, adjective
un·de·vi·a·ble, adjective
un·de·vi·at·ed, adjective
un·de·vi·at·ing, adjective
un·de·vi·at·ing·ly, adverb

Words that may be confused with deviate

deviant, deviate

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use deviate in a sentence

Many money managers are judged by how well they perform against the S&P, giving them an incentive to own Tesla to avoid deviating from the index.
Why Tesla’s inclusion in the S&P 500 index matters | John Detrixhe | December 21, 2020 | Quartz
In cases where a coach deviates from established norms, they will at least remain consistent with respect to their worldviews.
Who’s The Most Chaotic Movie Football Coach? | Josh Hermsmeyer | December 4, 2020 | FiveThirtyEight
If you deviated from these optimal values, the second and third players would both have the advantage over you, each with a greater than one-third chance of winning.
Can You Feed The Hot Hand? | Zach Wissner-Gross | October 23, 2020 | FiveThirtyEight
These differences, while relatively small, are important because they deviate from earlier experiments on gender and the responsiveness of public officials.
Women Politicians More Likely To Reply To People Who Reach Out In Need, Study Shows | LGBTQ-Editor | October 19, 2020 | No Straight News
The policymakers directed then-Attorney General Stuart Rabner, who is now chief justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court, to draft guidelines for prosecutors to describe the rare occasions they could deviate from the mandatory minimum jail time.
How Criminal Cops Often Avoid Jail | by Andrew Ford, Asbury Park Press | September 23, 2020 | ProPublica

I think that these people have all deviated from their original—well Britta never really had a plan.
It’s Britta, Bitch: Gillian Jacobs on Community’s Repilot, Foot Fetishes, and Communists | Kevin Fallon | January 1, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Throughout his career, Hobsbawm never deviated from the Communist Party line set in Moscow.
There Are Still Communists? | Justin Green | October 18, 2012 | THE DAILY BEAST
The old Chippewa has never deviated from the faith of his fathers, as he still adheres to all their rites and ceremonies.
Tobacco; Its History, Varieties, Culture, Manufacture and Commerce | E. R. Billings.
The guides, through ignorance, deviated so far into the interior, that the sea was no longer in sight.
The Geography of Strabo, Volume III (of 3) | Strabo
By what right is it assumed that a state of rest is the particular state which cannot be deviated from without special cause?
A System of Logic: Ratiocinative and Inductive | John Stuart Mill
Captain Baudin had deviated from the instructions given him by the Institute.
Celebrated Travels and Travellers | Jules Verne
I have never,' he adds, 'intentionally deviated from this sense.'
The English Utilitarians, Volume II (of 3) | Leslie Stephen

British Dictionary definitions for deviate

deviate

verb(ˈdiːvɪˌeɪt)

(usually intr) to differ or diverge or cause to differ or diverge, as in belief or thought
(usually intr) to turn aside or cause to turn aside; diverge or cause to diverge

(intr) psychol to depart from an accepted standard or convention

noun, adjective(ˈdiːvɪɪt)

another word for deviant

Origin of deviate

C17: from Late Latin dēviāre to turn aside from the direct road, from de- + via road

Derived forms of deviate

deviator, noun
deviatory, adjective

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

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