normal

[ nawr-muh l ]

/ ˈnɔr məl /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR normal ON THESAURUS.COM

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 pertaining 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 subgroup) having the property that the same set of elements results when all the elements of the subgroup are operated on consistently on the left and consistently on the right by any element of the group; invariant.

Chemistry.

(of a solution) containing one equivalent weight of the constituent in question in one liter of solution.
pertaining 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of or relating to a neutral salt in which any replaceable hydroxyl groups or hydrogen atoms have been replaced by other groups or atoms, as sodium sulfate, Na2SO4.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 average or mean: Production may fall below normal.

the standard or type.

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.

Nearby words

Origin of normal

1520–30; < Latin normālis made according to a carpenter's square, equivalent to norm(a) (see norm) + -ālis -al¹

Related forms

nor·mal·i·ty, nor·mal·ness, nounan·ti·nor·mal, adjectivean·ti·nor·mal·ness, nounan·ti·nor·mal·i·ty, noun

half-nor·mal, adjectivehalf-nor·mal·ly, adverbhy·per·nor·mal, adjectivehy·per·nor·mal·ly, adverbhy·per·nor·mal·ness, nounhy·per·nor·mal·i·ty, nounnon·nor·mal, adjectivenon·nor·mal·ly, adverbnon·nor·mal·ness, nounnon·nor·mal·i·ty, noun, plural non·nor·mal·i·ties.o·ver·nor·mal, adjectiveo·ver·nor·mal·ly, adverbo·ver·nor·mal·i·ty, nounqua·si-nor·mal, adjectivequa·si-nor·mal·ly, adverbsem·i·nor·mal, adjectivesem·i·nor·mal·ly, adverbsem·i·nor·mal·ness, nounsem·i·nor·mal·i·ty, nountrans·nor·mal, adjectivetrans·nor·mal·ly, adverbun·nor·mal, adjectiveun·nor·mal·ly, adverbun·nor·mal·ness, noun

Normal

[ nawr-muh l ]

/ ˈnɔr məl /

noun

a city in central Illinois.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for normal

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
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

Normal procedure is that any member country can request that a document be circulated, and the UN does it pro-forma.
Exclusive: Sony Emails Say Studio Exec Picked Kim Jong-Un as the Villain of ‘The Interview’|William Boot|December 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Conditions, therefore, which lower the general vitality below the normal produce abnormal fertility.
Conception Control and Its Effects on the Individual and the Nation|Florence E. Barrett
Once the changes have taken place, there is no hope of the patient ever recovering the normal use of his limbs.
Essays In Pastoral Medicine|Austin Malley
The print of a normal foot shows only the heel, the lateral border of the foot, and the balls and tips of the toes.
Manual of Surgery Volume Second: Extremities--Head--Neck. Sixth Edition.|Alexander Miles
It is very probable that the normal foot occurs only in a larger whole, the verse.
Harvard Psychological Studies, Volume 1|Various
Normal life is nothing but that,—a state of equilibrium, a static condition.
Philosophic Nights In Paris|Remy De Gourmont

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 Formsnormality (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

Word Origin and History for normal

normal

adj.

c.1500, "typical, common;" 1640s, "standing at a right angle," from Late Latin normalis "in conformity with rule, normal," from Latin normalis "made according to a carpenter's square," from norma "rule, pattern," literally "carpenter's square" (see norm). Meaning "conforming to common standards, usual" is from 1828, but probably older than the record [Barnhart].

As a noun meaning "usual state or condition," from 1890. Sense of "normal person or thing" is from 1894. Normal school (1834) is from French école normale (1794), a republican foundation. The city of Normal, Illinois, U.S., was named 1857 for the normal school established there.

Medicine 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.

n.

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

normal

adjective

noun

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Origin of normal

Normal

noun

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normal

adjective

noun

Word Origin for normal

normal

normal

adj.

n.