normal

[ nawr-muhl ]

/ ˈnɔr məl /

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adjective

conforming to the standard or the common type; usual; not abnormal; regular; natural.

serving to establish a standard.

Psychology.

approximately average in any psychological trait, as intelligence, personality, or emotional adjustment.
free from any mental disorder; sane.

Biology, Medicine/Medical.

free from any infection or other form of disease or malformation, or from experimental therapy or manipulation.
of natural occurrence.

Mathematics.

being at right angles, as a line; perpendicular.
of the nature of or relating to a mathematical normal.
(of an orthogonal system of real functions) defined so that the integral of the square of the absolute value of any function is 1.
(of a topological space) having the property that corresponding to every pair of disjoint closed sets are two disjoint open sets, each containing one of the closed sets.
(of a set) having the property that the same set results when all the elements of the set are operated on consistently on the left and consistently on the right by any element of the set; invariant.

Chemistry.

(of a solution) containing one equivalent weight of the constituent in question in one liter of solution.
relating to an aliphatic hydrocarbon having a straight unbranched carbon chain, each carbon atom of which is joined to no more than two other carbon atoms.
of or relating to a neutral salt in which any replaceable hydroxyl groups or hydrogen atoms have been replaced by other groups or atoms, as sodium sulfate, Na2SO4.

noun

the standard or the common type.

the usual state, amount, level, etc., especially the average or mean: Production may fall below normal.

Mathematics.

a perpendicular line or plane, especially one perpendicular to a tangent line of a curve, or a tangent plane of a surface, at the point of contact.
the portion of this perpendicular line included between its point of contact with the curve and the x-axis.

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Origin of normal

First recorded in 1520–30; from Latin normālis “made according to a carpenter's square,” equivalent to norm(a) (see norm) + -ālis adjective suffix; see -al¹

OTHER WORDS FROM normal

nor·mal·i·ty

[nawr-mal-i-tee] /nɔrˈmæl ɪ ti/ noun, plural nor·mal·i·ties.nor·mal·ness, nounan·ti·nor·mal, adjectivehalf-nor·mal, adjective

hy·per·nor·mal, adjectivenon·nor·mal, adjectiveo·ver·nor·mal, adjectivequa·si-nor·mal, adjectivequa·si-nor·mal·ly, adverbsem·i·nor·mal, adjectivesem·i·nor·mal·ly, adverbun·nor·mal, adjectiveun·nor·mal·ly, adverb

Words nearby normal

nork, norland, norleucine, norm, Norma, normal, normal antibody, normal antitoxin, normal curve, normalcy, normal distribution

Other definitions for normal (2 of 2)

Normal

[ nawr-muhl ]

/ ˈnɔr məl /

noun

a city in central Illinois.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use normal in a sentence

In more normal times, people already struggled to take time off from work, polling machines broke down, and it was hard for many to even get to the polls.
Why you should vote as early as possible (and how to do it)|John Kennedy|September 17, 2020|Popular-Science
Allowing the flow of water through coastal areas to return to normal seems key.
Soggy coastal soils? Here’s why ecologists love them|Alison Pearce Stevens|September 17, 2020|Science News For Students
The crowded bar scene is likely one of the last things that will go “back to normal” after the pandemic.
Bar Rescue: Pandemic Edition|jakemeth|September 15, 2020|Fortune
Everyone wants to know what the new normal will be like for everything.
Are you ready to start traveling for work again? TripActions’ CEO is banking on it|Michal Lev-Ram, writer|September 15, 2020|Fortune

During this time, commuters couldn’t take their normal routes—they were forced to use other subway stops to get to work.
How a vacation—or a pandemic—can help you adopt better habits now|matthewheimer|September 12, 2020|Fortune
Something like fluoride, which is too small for normal filters, yanks away that feeling of agency.
Anti-Fluoriders Are The OG Anti-Vaxxers|Michael Schulson|July 27, 2016|DAILY BEAST
Carlisle writes that the Air Force would want a crew ratio of 10 to one for each drone orbit during normal everyday operations.
Exclusive: U.S. Drone Fleet at ‘Breaking Point,’ Air Force Says|Dave Majumdar|January 5, 2015|DAILY BEAST
He appears only normal, even in video footage from just two minutes before the shooting.
Exclusive: Inside a Cop-Killer’s Final Hours|Michael Daly|December 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The flight path remained close to the Indonesian archipelago, well within what is the normal reach of air traffic control radar.
Did Bad Weather Bring Down AirAsia 8501?|Clive Irving|December 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Six months of sterility results, after which normal fertility returns.
Men, Ice Your Balls To Make Babies—and Other Male Fertility Fixes|Tom Sykes|December 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In the early stages of chronic nephritis, when diagnosis is difficult, it is usually normal.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd
Walls End Castle, when the party broke up, returned to its normal state.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3)|Charles James Wills
No trait is better marked in the normal child than the impulse to subject others to his own disciplinary system.
Children's Ways|James Sully
It is often present in the respiratory tract under normal conditions.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd
Then, inexplicably, he shifted to the other side that the old, the normal Tom presented generously to the new.
The Wave|Algernon Blackwood

British Dictionary definitions for normal

normal

/ (ˈnɔːməl) /

adjective

usual; regular; common; typicalthe normal way of doing it; the normal level

constituting a standardif we take this as normal

psychol

being within certain limits of intelligence, educational success or ability, etc
conforming to the conventions of one's group

biology med (of laboratory animals) maintained in a natural state for purposes of comparison with animals treated with drugs, etc

chem (of a solution) containing a number of grams equal to the equivalent weight of the solute in each litre of solventSymbol: N

chem denoting a straight-chain hydrocarbon: a normal alkane . Prefix: n-, e.g. n- octane

geometry another word for perpendicular (def. 1)

noun

the usual, average, or typical state, degree, form, etc

anything that is normal

geometry a line or plane perpendicular to another line or plane or to the tangent of a curved line or plane at the point of contact

Derived forms of normal

normality (nɔːˈmælɪtɪ) or esp US normalcy, noun

Word Origin for normal

C16: from Latin normālis conforming to the carpenter's square, from norma norm

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

Medical definitions for normal

normal

[ nôr′məl ]

adj.

Conforming with, adhering to, or constituting a norm, standard, pattern, level, or type; typical.

Functioning or occurring in a natural way; lacking observable abnormalities or deficiencies.

Occurring naturally and not because of disease, inoculation, or any experimental treatment. Used of immunity.

Of, relating to, or being a solution having one gram equivalent weight of solute per liter of solution.

Of, relating to, or being an aliphatic hydrocarbon having a straight and unbranched chain of carbon atoms.

Of, relating to, or characterized by average intelligence or development.

The usual or the expected state, form, amount, or degree.

normal

Origin of normal

OTHER WORDS FROM normal

Words nearby normal

Other definitions for normal (2 of 2)

Words related to normal

How to use normal in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for normal

Derived forms of normal

Word Origin for normal

Medical definitions for normal