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

First recorded in 1625–35; from Late Latin dēviātus “turned from the road,” past participle of dēviāre “to stray, turn from the road,” from Latin dē- de- + vi(a) “road, way” + āre, infinitive verb suffix

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

On Wednesday, he insisted that Congress had deviated from the comity demanded by the public.
Republicans eager to subvert the 2020 election last week now insist the time has come for unity | Philip Bump | January 13, 2021 | Washington Post
You can compare the angles measured during the half-squat to the angles measured during running, and calculate a number that tells you how far your running motion deviates from your habitual motion path.
There’s a New Way to Choose the Right Running Shoe | Alex Hutchinson | January 5, 2021 | Outside Online
The more you deviate, the theory suggests, the more you’ll be loading joint areas and tendons and other structures that aren’t used to it.
There’s a New Way to Choose the Right Running Shoe | Alex Hutchinson | January 5, 2021 | Outside Online
Then 2020 happened, and like every other media entity, the organization has had to adapt and deviate from its planned strategy.
‘Prime time starts at 10 a.m.’: How ABC News Live has adapted its programming strategy to a tumultuous –and viewer engaged – 2020 | Tim Peterson | November 23, 2020 | Digiday
A judge could deviate only if “extraordinary circumstances exist such that imposition of a mandatory minimum term would be a serious injustice,” the law says.
How Criminal Cops Often Avoid Jail | by Andrew Ford, Asbury Park Press | September 23, 2020 | ProPublica

The deviating family melodrama has, thankfully, been replaced by shrewd spycraft.
‘Homeland’ Season 4: A Stripped-Down and Surprisingly Badass Return to Form | Marlow Stern | September 30, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
By using these tools instead of standing behind the DJ booth, am I deviating too far away from that culture?
DJ Steve Aoki: To Cake or Not To Cake | Steve Aoki | August 8, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
He kept on grimly, however, never deviating from his perspective, which was the swampy ground on the outer curve of the bend.
The Red Year | Louis Tracy
Nor are you deviating from Christian charity in not overlooking a dereliction of so material a sort.
The Ladies' Book of Etiquette, and Manual of Politeness | Florence Hartley
Others of the Galatians perhaps saw no harm in deviating a trifle from the doctrine of justification and faith.
Commentary on the Epistle to the Galatians | Martin Luther
Fingers are not counted further off than a metre with visual axis deviating inwards.
Schweigger on Squint | C. Schweigger
Even with red glass and prisms deviating in a vertical direction, double images not perceived.
Schweigger on Squint | C. Schweigger

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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