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
Relevance
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
Time, 21 Nov. 2025
From Psycho to The Texas Chain Saw Massacre to The Silence of the Lambs, Gein’s macabre legacy gave birth to fictional monsters born in his image and ignited a cultural obsession with the criminally deviant.
—Jackie Strause, HollywoodReporter, 4 Sep. 2025
Literary Hub, 24 Feb. 2026
Among them is a singer (Kiernan Shipka) making a living as an exotic dancer, who, after becoming Sheridan’s victim, joins them in their battle to rein in the young deviant.
—Carlos Aguilar, Variety, 25 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for deviant
Adjective
Crucially, Margaret Hamilton’s iconic Wicked Witch used her phallic broom to stalk her prey — marking her both deviant and masculine, challenging the wizard through her independence and mobility.
—Time, 21 Nov. 2025
From Psycho to The Texas Chain Saw Massacre to The Silence of the Lambs, Gein’s macabre legacy gave birth to fictional monsters born in his image and ignited a cultural obsession with the criminally deviant.
—Jackie Strause, HollywoodReporter, 4 Sep. 2025
Noun
White segregationists and liberals have outed Black people as deviant to maintain their claims to normalcy and socioeconomic dominance.
—Literary Hub, 24 Feb. 2026
Among them is a singer (Kiernan Shipka) making a living as an exotic dancer, who, after becoming Sheridan’s victim, joins them in their battle to rein in the young deviant.
—Carlos Aguilar, Variety, 25 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for deviant
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deviant
Adjective
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The sepsis led to disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC), which causes abnormal clotting throughout blood vessels in the body.—
Alex Andrejev,
New York Times,
27 May 2026
-
The result can be numbness, tingling, burning, or sharp pain which are all signs that the nerve tissue is either trapped in scar tissue or has developed a neuroma, an abnormal healing response at the cut edge of a nerve.—
Helen Carefoot,
Flow Space,
27 May 2026
Noun
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Sure to eclipse the multi-terrain Purosangue as the Prancing Horse’s most polarizing model, the 1,035 hp Luce is a zero-emissions statement piece intended to further demonstrate Ferrari’s maverick nature while the marque plugs into complete electrification on its own terms.—
Viju Mathew,
Robb Report,
25 May 2026
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After serving seven terms in the House, the maverick Massie was defeated in a May 19 race by Ed Gallrein, a former Navy SEAL.—
Jay Stahl,
USA Today,
24 May 2026
Adjective
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In a nearby tent was Zuhoor Musa Abdul Rahman, a 30-year-old housewife who recounted with unnatural calm the horrors that spurred her to flee El Fasher, a city some 300 miles east of Obeid.—
Nabih Bulos,
Los Angeles Times,
24 May 2026
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Only Maddie saw the unnatural, violent pull back inside, and most of the scares that follow likewise blur the line between reality and fantasy.—
Elena Lazic,
Variety,
24 May 2026
Noun
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But what the New Yorker writer left behind is some of the finest prose of the 20th century, focusing primarily on the eccentrics, scalawags, seamen, and other denizens of New York’s dank corners.—
Air Mail,
Air Mail,
2 May 2026
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The town’s overflowing with charming Midwest eccentrics, including a cocky mayor (Henry Winkler) and a welcoming barkeep (Lena Headey).—
Randy Myers,
Mercury News,
15 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Deviant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deviant. Accessed 30 May. 2026.
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