1
as in exceptions
something that is different from what is ordinary or expected
her C grade is an anomaly, as she's never made anything except A's and B's before
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in abnormalities
a person, thing, or event that is far from normal
snow in July is an anomaly in most of the northern hemisphere
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of anomalies
The North Side abounds in these anomalies, including Clark Street, Broadway and Lincoln, Milwaukee, Elston and Clybourn avenues.
—
Edward Keegan, Chicago Tribune, 22 Feb. 2026
Marta's medical diagnosis found congenital anomalies, and multiple surgeries were performed over a period of six weeks.
—Carol Guzy, NPR, 22 Feb. 2026
Sometani Shota stars as Sakai, a convenience store clerk who clocks in, recites the employee pledges, restocks the shelves, and feels nothing — until new recruit Ogawa (Erika Karata) arrives as one of several anomalies that send the store’s standardized operations spiraling toward bloody ends.
—Blake Simons, Variety, 20 Feb. 2026
Environmental police have deployed side-scan sonar to try to gather data and detect anomalies on the ocean floor, officials said.
—ABC News, 18 Feb. 2026
Scientists subtract the temperature anomalies in the rest of the tropical Pacific from those in the region most important for El Niño.
—Andrew Freedman, CNN Money, 17 Feb. 2026
Social Security payments are on a regular schedule for February 2026, but recipients of Supplemental Security Income checks should expect one more month of scheduling anomalies.
—Maia Pandey, jsonline.com, 12 Feb. 2026
He was eventually diagnosed with CVI and more diagnoses followed - microcephaly, hypotonia, developmental delays, brain anomalies, etc.
—Brad Quick, CNBC, 11 Feb. 2026
The software does not identify species but highlights anomalies, helping inspectors decide which packages deserve closer inspection.
—Eve Bohnett, Fortune, 8 Feb. 2026
Edward Keegan, Chicago Tribune, 22 Feb. 2026
Marta's medical diagnosis found congenital anomalies, and multiple surgeries were performed over a period of six weeks.
—Carol Guzy, NPR, 22 Feb. 2026
Sometani Shota stars as Sakai, a convenience store clerk who clocks in, recites the employee pledges, restocks the shelves, and feels nothing — until new recruit Ogawa (Erika Karata) arrives as one of several anomalies that send the store’s standardized operations spiraling toward bloody ends.
—Blake Simons, Variety, 20 Feb. 2026
Environmental police have deployed side-scan sonar to try to gather data and detect anomalies on the ocean floor, officials said.
—ABC News, 18 Feb. 2026
Scientists subtract the temperature anomalies in the rest of the tropical Pacific from those in the region most important for El Niño.
—Andrew Freedman, CNN Money, 17 Feb. 2026
Social Security payments are on a regular schedule for February 2026, but recipients of Supplemental Security Income checks should expect one more month of scheduling anomalies.
—Maia Pandey, jsonline.com, 12 Feb. 2026
He was eventually diagnosed with CVI and more diagnoses followed - microcephaly, hypotonia, developmental delays, brain anomalies, etc.
—Brad Quick, CNBC, 11 Feb. 2026
The software does not identify species but highlights anomalies, helping inspectors decide which packages deserve closer inspection.
—Eve Bohnett, Fortune, 8 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for anomalies
Noun
-
Those exceptions include time spent playing a different sport on a professional level, military service, religious missionary work and playing sports during a post-graduate year after high school.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
22 Feb. 2026
-
California has a number of laws aimed at protecting children’s data privacy, but those laws have exceptions that allow many tech companies to continue packaging and selling students’ personal information.—
Adam Echelman,
Los Angeles Times,
22 Feb. 2026
Noun
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If ingested in large enough quantities, this plant also can cause heart rhythm abnormalities, seizures and death.—
Arricca Elin SanSone,
Southern Living,
12 Feb. 2026
-
At Function, in addition to preventative, full-body MRI screening to detect early stage cancers, aneurysms and abnormalities, patients can also seek out extensive panels of blood tests to interpret all their results with proper perspective.—
David Oliver,
USA Today,
11 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
On the home front, several generations have grown up on an American mainland without malaria, yellow fever, or typhoid fever; diseases like dysentery are medical rarities.—
Vann R. Newkirk II,
The Atlantic,
9 Feb. 2026
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After putting out Hug of Thunder, one of the best rock albums of that year, Broken Social Scene rolled out their 2019 Let’s Try the After EPs in two volumes, as well as a collection of B-sides and rarities called Old Dead Young in 2022.—
Nina Corcoran,
Pitchfork,
3 Feb. 2026
Noun
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What’s more, radiation exposure can cause harmful mutations to the DNA in sperm—mutations that have the potential to be passed on to subsequent generations.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
20 Feb. 2026
-
The researchers combed the data for mutations that may have caused the tumors to form and found that cancer-causing genes in cats are strikingly similar in number and variety to those in humans.—
K. R. Callaway,
Scientific American,
19 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Anomalies.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/anomalies. Accessed 26 Feb. 2026.
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