aberration

noun ab·er·ra·tion \ ˌa-bə-ˈrā-shən \

Updated on: 17 Apr 2018

Definition of aberration

1 a : the fact or an instance of deviating or being aberrant especially from a moral standard or normal state

aberrations of character

b : something or someone regarded as atypical and therefore able be ignored or discounted

Harkins was to be regarded as an aberration among American military leaders …
—Neil Sheehan

The U.S. establishment treated this grassroots movement almost as an aberration, virtually ignoring it.
—Helen Caldicott

As for Putin's desire to lay waste to Chechnya, Western leaders largely dismiss it as an aberration …
—The New Republic

2 : failure of a mirror, refracting surface, or lens to produce exact point-to-point correspondence between an object and its image

chromatic aberration

… the telescope suffers from a serious focusing problem, a condition known as spherical aberration, which causes the point-like images of stars to be surrounded by fuzzy haze.
—M. Mitchell Waldrop

3 : unsoundness or disorder of the mind

4 : a small periodic change of apparent position in celestial bodies due to the combined effect of the motion of light and the motion of the observer

5 : an aberrant individual

—

aberrational

play \-shnəl, -shə-nᵊl\ adjective

- aberrational behavior
- They react, often in anger, to particular decisions but tend to regard them as aberrational rather than systemic failures.
- —Robert H. Bork

See aberration defined for English-language learners

See aberration defined for kids

Examples of aberration in a Sentence

Recently geneticists have taken a closer look at a genetic aberration previously considered rare … . The genes may be perfectly normal, yet there is a shortage or surplus of DNA sequences that may play a role in diseases that defy straightforward genetic patterns … —Melinda Wenner, Scientific American, June 2009
He did hit five homers for Texas in 1987, but that was an aberration. In no other major league season has he hit more than three, and last season he actually came up with a goose egg. —E. M. Swift, Sports Illustrated, 5 Apr. 1989
Gilliard's studies of numerous bird of paradise species brought them from the realm of exotic aberrations to the forefront of sociobiology. —Jared M. Diamond, Nature, 24-30 Sept. 1981
For her, such a low grade on an exam was an aberration.
a study of sexual aberration

Recent Examples of aberration from the Web

Tulsa This coming fall will prove whether Tulsa’s shocking slide to the bottom of the American was an aberration or a sign of things to come under Phillip Montgomery.

— paul myerberg, USA TODAY, "College football's last-placed teams headed for better things in 2018 season," 3 Apr. 2018
Photo: Stephen Ferry for The Wall Street Journal Photo: El Tiempo de Colombia/Newscom Such aberrations to democratic rule had been overshadowed by Colombia’s 52-year guerrilla war.

— john otis, WSJ, "Jobs, Cash and Coffins: How Colombia’s Clans Win Elections," 9 Mar. 2018
Perhaps factors such as McCutchen’s change of scenery, Pedroia’s surgery and Cabrera’s rest and rehab will make their omissions look like aberrations in careers that hopefully last much longer.

— SI.com, "SI's Top 100 MLB Players of 2018: The Leftovers," 16 Feb. 2018
If the dogs’ paws have any aberrations or cuts, the salts will burn.

— john surico, New York Times, "Please Don’t Make Me Go Out There," 1 Feb. 2018
So to be clearer, the Railsplitters’ recent run isn’t an aberration.

— aaron carter, Philly.com, "Lincoln should be favorite against Roman | Aaron Carter," 26 Mar. 2018
Once considered an aberration in the hip-hop world because of his unconventional style, in a matter of two years, Post Malone has evolved into a transcendent hitmaker.

— carl lamarre, Billboard, "Post Malone to Play Bud Light Dive Bar Tour Stop in Nashville: Exclusive," 22 Mar. 2018
The company was a bad actor, an aberration, that Facebook had to deal with.

— jason tanz, WIRED, "Mark Zuckerberg Speaks, But Is He Listening?," 21 Mar. 2018
The My Lai massacre was the most notorious episode in modern U.S. military history, but not an aberration in America's war in Vietnam.

— Fox News, "50 years ago, the My Lai massacre shamed the US military," 15 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'aberration.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of aberration

borrowed from Latin aberrātiōn-, aberrātiō "diversion, relief," from aberrāre "to wander away" + -tiōn-, -tiō, suffix of action nouns — more at ¹aberrant

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1588

See Words from the same year