ANOMALY Synonyms: 58 Similar and Opposite Words

anomaly

noun

ə-ˈnä-mə-lē

Definition of anomaly

as in exception

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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in abnormality

a person, thing, or event that is far from normal snow in July is an anomaly in most of the northern hemisphere

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of anomaly The move will bring the technology’s anomaly detection capabilities into I-care’s wider reliability offering. — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 18 Sep. 2026 And the hike could be the first of a series instead of an anomaly, especially if unemployment remains steady and inflation continues to tick up. — Matt Richardson, CBS News, 17 Sep. 2026 The report attributed the anomaly to a strong Arctic winter vortex in January and February 2025. — Adam Kovac, Scientific American, 16 Sep. 2026 Reatil and quick-service restaurants can audit drive-thru bottlenecks, analyze foot traffic and flag point-of-sale (POS) anomalies. — Robert Messer, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for anomaly

Recent Examples of Synonyms for anomaly

Noun

With its golf ambassadors, Peter Millar still tends to focus on promoting its golfwear — with a few exceptions, such as an event in the Hamptons last year with Cameron Young where the PGA Tour pro showed up dressed in the brand’s lifestyle product.

— Jean E. Palmieri, Footwear News, 24 Sep. 2026
After October 19, if that problem falls under one of the new exceptions, those benefits will no longer be legally protected—but airlines can still choose to provide them.

— Bailey Berg, Condé Nast Traveler, 24 Sep. 2026

Definition of exception

Noun

However, because the Food and Drug Administration has warned about a potential for birth abnormalities, it is not recommended for women who are pregnant or who want to get pregnant.

— Lindsey Bever, Washington Post, 26 Sep. 2026
For healthcare leaders, the path forward is less about detecting ever more abnormalities than about improving the balance between early detection, diagnostic precision and health-system capacity.

— Oran Muduroglu, Forbes.com, 24 Sep. 2026

Definition of abnormality

Noun

But at the very top end, the market continues to produce extraordinary results for bottles with exceptional rarity and provenance.

— George Nelson, ARTnews.com, 24 Sep. 2026
Each had multiple seasons with more than 200 innings pitched, a rarity in today's game.

— Ryan Canfield OutKick, FOXNews.com, 23 Sep. 2026

Definition of rarity

Noun

The mutation remains rare nationwide, affecting roughly one in 15,000–16,000 people.

— Melissa Rudy, FOXNews.com, 25 Sep. 2026
Under guidance issued in 2022, the FDA has approved nine drugs to be used for patients whose tumors have specific mutations, regardless of the organ where the cancer first appeared.

— Arthur Allen, CBS News, 21 Sep. 2026

Definition of mutation

Noun

They’re rooted in a time and place that feels all too real, and this allows the monsters to parade their primitive might in a way that means something.

— Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 27 Sep. 2026
At this point in TV history, audiences had grown jaded by the monster-of-the-week style that every show used and abused, wanting more depth to their programming.

— Sergio Pereira, Space.com, 26 Sep. 2026

Definition of monster

Noun

Prosecutors assembled thousands of pages of text messages and emails, obtained bank and flight records, gathered corroborating witnesses, and collected video footage of freak-offs and the damning tape of Combs attacking Ventura.

— Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 21 Sep. 2026
Correa tearing an ankle tendon in May during a freak batting practice accident quieted them.

— Chandler Rome, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2026

Definition of freak

Browse Nearby Words

anomalousness

anomaly

anon

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Style

“Anomaly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/anomaly. Accessed 28 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of anomaly

noun

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