deviancy

noun

de·​vi·​an·​cy ˈdē-vē-ən-sē How to pronounce deviancy (audio)
plural deviancies

Examples of deviancy in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web These racist stereotypes of Asian women’s hypersexuality and deviancy create entire systems of knowledgebased in the control of women’s sexuality while obscuring the complex decisions, forms of labor, and institutions that shape women’s lives and work. Genevieve Clutario, Harper's BAZAAR, 23 Mar. 2021 High achievements and severe mental illness are not mutually exclusive, but many people may not know much about schizophrenia beyond media depictions associating it with violence, failure or deviancy. Jenna Ryu, USA TODAY, 29 Nov. 2022 Culture wars are being fought over them anyway because the deviancy that’s being defined down is that of the cultural warriors themselves. Timothy Noah, The New Republic, 6 Apr. 2022 Nutting, who wrote the greatest Grub Street diet of all time, delights in deviancy. Kate Knibbs, Wired, 4 May 2021

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'deviancy.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1947, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of deviancy was in 1947

Dictionary Entries Near deviancy

Cite this Entry

“Deviancy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/deviancy. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

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