Synonyms
Examples of abnormal in a Sentence
Akshay Syal, M.d., NBC News, 18 Nov. 2023
Clear indicators of high risk come from a biopsy showing abnormal growths: proliferative lesions or premalignant lesions in the breast such as atypical hyperplasia or lobular carcinoma in situ, or LCIS.
—Elizabeth Cooney, STAT, 13 Nov. 2023
Grading looks at how abnormal cancer cells look under a microscope.
—Jenny McCoy, Health, 10 Nov. 2023
The goal, Halpern says, is to restore normal function to abnormal neural circuits.
—Emily Mullin, WIRED, 30 Oct. 2023
Paramedics have medical devices that use electrical currents to correct abnormal heart rhythms (defibrillators).
—Nick Blackmer, Verywell Health, 20 Oct. 2023
That’s because what looks like a house effect in an individual poll could just be abnormal amounts of random sampling or other error.
—G. Elliott Morris, ABC News, 9 Oct. 2023
While that agreement focuses on longterm average temperatures, September’s abnormal heat – which followed the hottest summer ever recorded – has given a preview of what the world can expect as soaring temperatures supercharge extreme weather.
—Laura Paddison, CNN, 4 Oct. 2023
For someone with blood cancer, there are abnormal blood cells present in the body that grow out of control and negatively impact the function of normal blood cells.
—Ashlyn Messier, Fox News, 24 Sep. 2023
Terry Blain Special To The Star Tribune, Star Tribune, 5 Aug. 2020
Welcome to the new abnormal.
—Seth Borenstein, Anchorage Daily News, 9 Dec. 2022
There's only a new abnormal.
—Faye Flam, Star Tribune, 2 Feb. 2021
Primed for speed and for the social distancing of the new abnormal, Toro Coffee does its thing exclusively at the drive-thru, with a window on each side of this white box building near Rackspace on the Northeast Side.
—Mike Sutter, San Antonio Express-News, 28 Jan. 2021
Several in the Santiam district spoke to The Oregonian/OregonLive about what’s become a catchphrase of the double bind -- the new abnormal.
—oregonlive, 20 Oct. 2020
The abnormal of 2020 continued through this game as lightning delayed the game by more than half an hour late in the third quarter, and with 3:52 remaining in the game, half of the stadium's lighting went out.
—al, 22 Aug. 2020
Welcome to the Charles Schwab Challenge and the PGA Tour’s new abnormal.
—Dallas News, 12 June 2020
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These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'abnormal.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Adjective
New Latin abnormis "deviating from the average" (going back to Medieval Latin, "not conforming to rule," going back to Latin, "belonging to no school of philosophy," from ab- ab- + norma "carpenter's rule, pattern") + -al entry 1 — more at norm
Noun
noun derivative of abnormal entry 1
Phrases Containing abnormal
Dictionary Entries Near abnormal
Cite this Entry
“Abnormal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/abnormal. Accessed 30 Nov. 2023.
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Kids Definition
abnormal
adjective
Medical Definition
abnormal
1 of 2 adjective
abnormal
2 of 2 noun
More from Merriam-Webster on abnormal
Nglish: Translation of abnormal for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of abnormal for Arabic Speakers
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