as in abnormal
departing from some accepted standard of what is normal
some studies show that many violent criminals begin exhibiting deviant behavior in early childhood
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in maverick
a person who does not conform to generally accepted standards or customs
branded as social deviants by a society that did not value self-expression
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of deviant
Christopher R. Browning, The New York Review of Books, 1 Dec. 2022
The Florida bill’s opponents are worried about a world in which teachers have no meaningful way to discuss the real world inhabited by their students, which risks leaving students with the impression that non-straight or non-gender-conforming individuals are somehow deviant.
—Washington Post, 12 Apr. 2022
Mark Travers, Forbes, 24 Mar. 2025
Joining him will be Kevin Roth on a deviant dulcimer.
—Pomerado News, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for deviant
Adjective
Jähner does not comment on no one seeming to have drawn the lesson that the anti-Semitic stereotype of dishonest and deviant economic behavior that Germans had long identified as a Jewish racial characteristic had turned out to be situationally, not racially, caused.
—Christopher R. Browning, The New York Review of Books, 1 Dec. 2022
The Florida bill’s opponents are worried about a world in which teachers have no meaningful way to discuss the real world inhabited by their students, which risks leaving students with the impression that non-straight or non-gender-conforming individuals are somehow deviant.
—Washington Post, 12 Apr. 2022
Noun
While reports from the Office of Justice Programs do suggest that children of criminals and abusers are more likely to exhibit deviant behavior, there are always exceptions.
—Mark Travers, Forbes, 24 Mar. 2025
Joining him will be Kevin Roth on a deviant dulcimer.
—Pomerado News, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for deviant
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deviant
Adjective
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Research indicates that girls with autism have higher rates of abnormal hormonal changes, including irregular menstrual cycles, cramps, acne, and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) than girls without autism.—
Anna Giorgi,
Verywell Health,
21 Apr. 2025
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In some cases, the procedure can even identify, diagnose and treat things like abnormal growths all in one procedure.—
Irene Wright,
Miami Herald,
18 Apr. 2025
Noun
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At one point, that must have seemed like a sweet validation for Navarro, a maverick among prominent economists despite his Harvard Ph.D.—
Niall Stanage,
The Hill,
11 Apr. 2025
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So naturally, the series went in a totally different direction with the new boss, introducing him as a maverick who runs into danger and a chief whose leadership style is a far cry from Boden’s strong but kind-hearted approach.—
Vlada Gelman,
TVLine,
11 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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While headphones usually create an unnatural and exaggerated stereo field inside the listener’s head, with virtual acoustic spaces a more natural stereo field can be experienced through headphones.—
Mark Sparrow,
Forbes.com,
29 Apr. 2025
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Photos often have unnatural colors, with little detail upon close inspection.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
17 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Robert Redford delivers folksy wisdom as a local eccentric who once had his own dragon encounter, and even Karl Urban’s greedy logger is more of a nuisance than an outright villain.—
Josh Bell,
Vulture,
21 Mar. 2025
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Attracting talent for greater innovation hazards acquiring a few eccentrics whose gifts come wrapped in controversial packaging.—
Chip Bell,
Forbes,
15 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Deviant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deviant. Accessed 3 May. 2025.
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