normal

[ nawr-muhl ]

/ ˈnɔr məl /

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See 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 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of or relating to a neutral salt in which any replaceable hydroxyl groups or hydrogen atoms have been replaced by other groups or atoms, as sodium sulfate, Na2SO4.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

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. 2023

How to use normal in a sentence

They shared the concern that stocks could lose their luster quickly if a return to economic normal led to rising interest rates.
How to play the 2021 recovery, according to investing experts|matthewheimer|November 20, 2020|Fortune
Expect a high daily digit for this one as sunshine rules and temperatures rise above normal.
PM Update: Today had a frozen start, but warmer temperatures are on the way|Ian Livingston|November 19, 2020|Washington Post
These mice also performed worse on memory tests than did mice eating a normal diet.
Warning! Junk foods can harm a teen’s brain|Sharon Oosthoek|November 19, 2020|Science News For Students
The patient had a preexisting autoimmune disorder and took powerful immunosuppressants as part of his normal routine.
You can get COVID-19 and the flu at the same time|Rachael Zisk|November 16, 2020|Popular-Science

Studies like the Bolivia research, he notes, could help public health experts develop a new range of normal body temperatures.
Bolivia’s Tsimane people’s average body temperature fell half a degree in 16 years|Sujata Gupta|November 13, 2020|Science News
The agreement of others is therefore my criterion of the normalness, the universality, the truth of my thoughts.
The Essence of Christianity|Ludwig Feuerbach
His tone was so extremely matter-of-fact that its very normalness arrested Philip.
The Angel of Pain|E. F. Benson

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

normal

Origin of normal

OTHER WORDS FROM 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