Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- adj. Not typical, usual, or regular; not normal; deviant.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- Not conformed or conforming to rule; deviating from a type or standard; contrary to system or law; irregular; unnatural.
Wiktionary
- n. A person or object that is not normal.
GNU Webster's 1913
- adj. Not conformed to rule or system; deviating from the type; anomalous; irregular.
WordNet 3.0
- adj. departing from the normal in e.g. intelligence and development
- adj. much greater than the normal
- adj. not normal; not typical or usual or regular or conforming to a norm
Etymologies
- ab- + normal. First attested in 1835, replacing the earlier anormal and even earlier abnormous, from Latin abnormis ("departing from normal"), from either (ab- ("away from") + norma ("rule, norm")), or Ancient Greek ἀνώμαλος (anōmalos). (Wiktionary)
- Alteration (influenced by ab-1) of obsolete anormal, from Medieval Latin anormālis, blend of Late Latin abnormis (Latin ab-, away from; see ab-1 + Latin norma, rule; see anomalous. (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)
Examples
“He would soon find out that President Eisenhower did not attach the same significance to the word abnormal and had no intention of leaving Berlin.”
“This is true of every marriage, even if no offspring result, just as of every eye it can be said that it is destined and formed to see, even if, in abnormal cases arising from special internal or external conditions, it will never be possible to achieve visual perception.”
Christopher West: "I never said Hugh Hefner is a hero, never..."
“Peers, opportunity, molestation and cultural influences also play roles in abnormal orientation – beyond parents.”
“Over time, domination by the Chinese Communist regime has led to inhuman behavior and human rights violations resulting in abnormal practices such as cannibalism. link to Next Magazine & Epoch Times via Weird Asian News”
Cannibalism In China Seemingly Acceptable If Invoked For Health Purposes | Impact Lab
“Many emotional states or kinds of behavior could be classified as abnormal, but labeling a person mentally ill is problematic in itself when it creates feelings of fear and shame.”
“The abnormal is the mirror image of the normal, or to quote the 19th century Swedish poet Erik Johan Stagnelius, "chaos is the neighbor of God".”
The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1989 - Presentation Speech
“It seems to me, as a President-watcher, that we have had for the last two Presidents, Mr. Johnson and Mr. Nixon, men who responded in abnormal and very personal ways to events of the world.”
“Their product, originally dubbed the Sleep Comfort Care Pad, has helped thousands treated for the condition, which is characterized by abnormal pauses in breathing.”
“The existing literature leans almost uniformly toward a mispricing story for the long-term abnormal returns after the stock issues and repurchases of 1963-2006.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘abnormal’.
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A to abominator (Chambers)
aa gets over 40 hits
aardvark 49 hits
abbatoir 103 hits
abjure 138 hitsA, A 1, aa, A-line, A-list, A-lister, A-road, A-side, from A to B, from A to Z, A-bomb, A-effect and 254 more...
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big book gre
abase, abbess, abbey, abbot, abdicate, abdomen, abdominal, abduction, abed, aberration, abet, abeyance and 6689 more...
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5000 FREE SAT Words
abase, abbess, abbey, abbot, abdicate, abdomen, abdominal, abduction, abed, aberration, abet, abeyance and 229 more...
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Miss Sunshine
she's such a joy.
bereaved, bitter, cheerless, dejected, depressed, despairing, despondent, disconsolate, dismal, distressed, doleful, downcast and 405 more...
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kingofbash's Words
bash, poleaxed, salacious, libertine, charlatan, aplomb, fortuitous, finagle, apoplectic, debutante, carte blanche, aardvark and 472 more...
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1906 Railway Cipher Code
Terms from the Standard Cipher Code of the American Railway Association, 1906. The terms were shorthand for common phrases used in telegraphic communications between station agents and Railway Asso...
abdominal, abetting, abiology, ablative, abnormal, abominate, aboveboard, abrasive, absinth, abstinent, accursed, acetate and 212 more...
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Psych
dissonance, aphasia, psychotic, schizoid, schizotypal, cognition, sublimation, oedipal, self-actualization, psychoanalysis, humanist, freudian and 51 more...
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list 4 Kristina 2
demo, motion, symphony, promo, glee, spiraling, abnormal, rhythm, holly, sneak, peek, smash and 3 more...
Tweets
Looking for tweets for abnormal.
hernesheir US Railway Assn. Standard Cipher Code for the phrase "your modified conditions acceptable". Jan 18, 2013