aberrant

1 of 2

adjective

ab·​er·​rant a-ˈber-ənt 

ə-,

-ˈbe-rənt;

ˈa-bə-rənt 

-ˌber-ənt,

-ˌbe-rənt

1

: deviating from the usual or natural type : atypical, abnormal

aberrant behavior

I don't intend to suggest that his psychology was in some way aberrant or neurotic …

—Michael Chabon

2

: straying from the right or normal way

aberrant misfits

aberrance

a-ˈber-ən(t)s 

ə-

-ˈbe-rən(t)s;

ˈa-bə-rən(t)s 

-ˌber-ən(t)s

-ˌbe-rən(t)s

noun

aberrantly adverb

aberrant

2 of 2

noun

1

: a group, individual, or structure that is not normal or typical : an aberrant group, individual, or structure

2

: a person whose behavior departs substantially from the standard

Did you know?

Something aberrant has wandered away from the usual path or form. The word is generally used in a negative way; aberrant behavior, for example, may be a symptom of other problems. But the discovery of an aberrant variety of a species can be exciting news to a biologist, and identifying an aberrant gene has led the way to new treatments for diseases.

Synonyms

Adjective

• aberrated
• abnormal
• anomalous
• atypical
• especial
• exceeding
• exceptional
• extraordinaire
• extraordinary
• freak
• odd
• peculiar
• phenomenal
• preternatural
• rare
• singular
• uncommon
• uncustomary
• unique
• unusual
• unwonted

Examples of aberrant in a Sentence

Adjective

The stones, silvered in the moon's aberrant light, shone like spectral tombs, and the figures, which Dalgliesh knew were Helena, Lettie and the Bostocks, became discarnate shapes disappearing into the darkness. —P. D. James, The Private Patient, 2008

… as if he had happily spied an aberrant crocus amid the wintry gray scene of Presidential impeachment. —Francis X. Clines, New York Times, 8 Jan. 1999

… at the brief and aberrant moment in time when it was possible to believe that America owed its great place in the world to its military and moral virtue rather than to the weight of its currency. —Lewis H. Lapham, Harper's, March 1992

a year of aberrant weather—record rainfall in the summer, record heat in the autumn

aberrant behavior can be a sign of rabies in a wild animal

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

That aberrant development is still with us via Dae-su’s flip phone and warped psychology — the guilt and anger that drive his unholy quest. —Armond White, National Review, 6 Sep. 2023

These are conditions which, like chronic myelogenous leukemia, arise from a very basic genetic mechanism, which allows for developing pharmaceutical interventions that can target those aberrant systems. —WIRED, 4 Sep. 2023

Adversarial attacks exploit the way that machine learning picks up on patterns in data to produce aberrant behaviors. —WIRED, 1 Aug. 2023

And merely dismissing Charney as an aberrant offender — the one bad apple, good riddance — is a too-tidy conclusion for why these messy, glittering worlds continue to captivate us. —Dana Schwartz, Washington Post, 24 July 2023

Visual deprivation can be considered an extreme form of aberrant early childhood experience, and congenital blindness is known to cause a reduction in brain surface area similar to other types of aberrant childhood experience. —Cordula Hölig, Scientific American, 12 May 2023

The task for brain-stimulation researchers remains to find nodes in this aberrant circuitry that can be effectively modified with jolts of energy. —IEEE Spectrum, 11 July 2023

Not to be seen as an aberrant comment, Lucero’s tweet adds to a growing pathetic and creepish track record. —Prem Thakker, The New Republic, 27 June 2023

But they’ll also be impressed with how the author has, over the years, cultivated his own aberrant growth, flowering into marvelous, decadent forms out of this misshapen seed. —Noah Berlatsky, Los Angeles Times, 11 Apr. 2023

See More

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

borrowed from Latin aberrant-, aberrans, present participle of aberrāre "to wander away, stray, go wrong," from ab- ab- + errāre "to wander, drift, be in error" — more at err

Noun

noun derivative of aberrant entry 1

First Known Use

Adjective

circa 1536, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Noun

1840, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

aberrant

adjective

ab·​er·​rant

ə-ˈber-ənt,

ˈab-ə-rənt

: being different from the usual or natural type

Medical Definition

aberrant

adjective

ab·​er·​rant a-ˈber-ənt  ə-; ˈab-ə-rənt 

-ˌe(ə)r-ənt

1

: straying from the right or normal way

aberrant behavior

2

: deviating from the usual or natural type : atypical sense 1

aberrant salivary tissue