aberration

noun ab·er·ra·tion \ ˌa-bə-ˈrā-shən \

|Updated on: 6 Aug 2018

Examples: aberration in a Sentence

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

To be a two-time All-Star says last year wasn't an aberration.

— jeff sanders, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Trade talk doesn't faze All-Star Brad Hand one bit," 12 July 2018
These incidents, while not aberrations, are extraordinary.

— shannon tompkins, Houston Chronicle, "Wildlife is wild, so admire from afar," 13 June 2018
The tracking of the Wildfire charges were not an aberration.

— alexandra kukulka, chicagotribune.com, "When using village credit cards, Glenview officials often fail to properly track meal purchases, records show," 25 June 2018
These days, a Shakespearean production set in the appropriate period and devoid of modernistic touches seems almost an aberration, as if the director just wasn't trying hard enough.

— frank scheck, The Hollywood Reporter, "'Othello': Theater Review," 19 June 2018
In 2000 Columbine could still be viewed as an aberration.

— rick hampson, USA TODAY, "Can March For Our Lives rally avoid the fate of the Millions Mom March?," 22 Mar. 2018
With all due respect to John Astin and Tim Curry, who have also played the character, all other interpretations of Gomez were aberrations in my mind.

— ella cerón, Teen Vogue, "The Addams Family's Gomez Addams Was My First Glimpse of Latinx Representation," 15 June 2018
Nearly half of all people who had healthy eyes before Lasik developed visual aberrations for the first time after the procedure, the trial found.

— author: roni caryn rabin, Anchorage Daily News, "Blurred vision, burning eyes: This is a Lasik success?," 12 June 2018
And yet Minnesota has done little to change the thinking that last season’s playoff appearance was one-year aberration.

— ryan divish, The Seattle Times, "Mariners Sunday mailbag: Answering the Robinson Cano questions, plus a look at playoff competition," 11 June 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

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year