anomaly

noun anom·a·ly \ ə-ˈnä-mə-lē \

|Updated on: 10 Jul 2018

Examples: anomaly in a Sentence

Definition of anomaly

plural anomalies

1 : something different, abnormal, peculiar, or not easily classified : something anomalous

They regarded the test results as an anomaly.

2 : deviation from the common rule : irregularity

3 : the angular distance of a planet from its perihelion as seen from the sun

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Examples of anomaly in a Sentence

In approximately 10% of patients, autism can be explained by genetic syndromes and known chromosomal anomalies (most of which have recognizable features in addition to autism) … —Lauren A. Weiss et al., New England Journal of Medicine, 14 Feb. 2008
Eleven minutes may not sound like much when you're waiting for a table at your favorite restaurant, but in the course of centuries, eleven minutes and change become a formidable chunk of time. By the 1300s, those superfluous minutes had added up to hours, then days, then more than a week. The calendar was losing time, irrevocably, to the "real" year, slipping further and further behind in its measurement of the earth's orbit. Anomalies began to creep into what had been the certainties of life. The spring equinox—one of two moments in the year when day and night are of equal length all over the earth, and which occurs on or about March 21—began to fall on March 16, then 15, then 14. —Michelle Stacey, Harper's, December 2006
Californians aren't the only ones vexed by rolling brownouts and other power-supply anomalies. Everyday power spikes, surges, sags, and line noise cause computers, stereo equipment, televisions, telephones, and other delicate electronic equipment to go psychotic or have complete nervous breakdowns. —Fortune, 25 June 2001
This policy may well have made sense back when steroid use was an anomaly. Now that bulking up with chemical help seems to be more popular than ever, it's incumbent on baseball to take action. —Steve Kettman, New York Times, 20 Aug. 2000
We couldn't explain the anomalies in the test results.
her C grade is an anomaly, as she's never made anything except A's and B's before

Recent Examples of anomaly from the Web

For a generation of wiseass Brooklyn brunettes like myself, Tomei was a Hollywood anomaly, the rare breakthrough character actor who didn’t apologize for or abandon her New Yorkiness.

— stella bugbee, The Cut, "Marisa Tomei Knows What’s She’s Worth," 3 July 2018
Banning sunscreen will not solve other problems: for example, temperature anomalies, overfishing, coral predators and the big issue of coastal runoffs that pollute and destroy reefs.

— julia belluz, Vox, "Hawaii is banning sunscreens that kill coral reefs," 2 July 2018
So anomalies, trends, advertising, hysteria, sensationalism.

— karen bliss, Billboard, "Aloe Blacc on 'America's Musical Journey' Doc, His Forthcoming Album & Unreleased Songs With Avicii," 20 June 2018
Is this an anomaly, or is this a trend that the sport needs to fix?

— chandler rome, Houston Chronicle, "Astros struggle to get offense going in loss to Angels," 15 May 2018
When baked into bread consumed by humans, these toxins can provoke a sort of madness marked by hallucinations and neurological anomalies, and in extreme cases, also a loss of limbs and even death.

— ellen ruppel shell, BostonGlobe.com, "Take a hit of acid and call me in the morning," 11 May 2018
Or are this year’s surprising numbers just statistical anomalies?

— emily atkin, The New Republic, "Renewable Energy Is Surviving Trump," 8 May 2018
Cancer is extremely rare in newborns and even the first year, but that is when more than 11,000 children will die each year due to complications of pregnancy, congenital anomalies, prematurity and their consequences.

— warren alperstein, m.d., and judy schaechter, m.d., miamiherald, "Pediatric cancer: warning signs and symptoms," 18 Apr. 2018
The Liquid Scintillator Neutrino Detector in Los Alamos, N.M., detected a similar anomaly in the 1990s, prompting the construction of MiniBooNE.

— natalie wolchover, Washington Post, "Evidence for a new fundamental particle thrills and baffles physicists," 18 June 2018

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