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of or relating to a neutral salt in which any replaceable hydroxyl groups or hydrogen atoms have been replaced by other groups or atoms, as sodium sulfate, Na2SO4.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

In a way it stunned her, just as the approaching storm made her unnormal, unlike herself.
The Angel of Pain|E. F. Benson
The small muscles about his eyes puckered with an unnormal tension while the rest of his face held its death frost.
There is a Reaper ...|Charles V. De Vet

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