as in perverts
a person who has sunk below the normal moral standard
a sleazy bar that seemed to be an informal clubhouse for deviates
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Recent Examples of deviates
Yasmin Tayag, The Atlantic, 16 Sep. 2025
The Uncut Gems star's ensemble deviates from his signature style, which typically includes oversize T-shirts, hoodies and shorts, as well as stylish sneakers.
—Charna Flam, People.com, 28 Aug. 2025
The Act’s control over owners and clubs also deviates substantially from American practices and is chilling to investment.
—Chris Deubert, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2025
There’s always a chance for a surprise cameo that deviates from the source material, but Choi Hyun-wook is not currently listed as a Season 2 cast member.
—Kayti Burt, Time, 26 Mar. 2025
Any policy that deviates from the central government’s could be seen as politically disloyal.
—Vivian Wang, New York Times, 20 Feb. 2025
If the system deviates from norms—perhaps because data quality has changed—the team investigates at once.
—Stephen Wunker, Forbes, 19 Feb. 2025
Nickel Boys also deviates from traditional filmic language through the interstitial placement of archival footage.
—Hilton Dresden, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Feb. 2025
Admittedly, this column deviates a bit from Improving Investor Behavior, our typical personal finance topic.
—Steve Booren, The Denver Post, 19 Jan. 2025
Verb
Even in states whose policy deviates from the CDC, each pharmacy can set its own boundaries on who can be vaccinated, and individual pharmacists may fear liability for vaccinating pregnant customers, Groves said.
—Yasmin Tayag, The Atlantic, 16 Sep. 2025
The Uncut Gems star's ensemble deviates from his signature style, which typically includes oversize T-shirts, hoodies and shorts, as well as stylish sneakers.
—Charna Flam, People.com, 28 Aug. 2025
The Act’s control over owners and clubs also deviates substantially from American practices and is chilling to investment.
—Chris Deubert, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2025
There’s always a chance for a surprise cameo that deviates from the source material, but Choi Hyun-wook is not currently listed as a Season 2 cast member.
—Kayti Burt, Time, 26 Mar. 2025
Any policy that deviates from the central government’s could be seen as politically disloyal.
—Vivian Wang, New York Times, 20 Feb. 2025
If the system deviates from norms—perhaps because data quality has changed—the team investigates at once.
—Stephen Wunker, Forbes, 19 Feb. 2025
Nickel Boys also deviates from traditional filmic language through the interstitial placement of archival footage.
—Hilton Dresden, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Feb. 2025
Admittedly, this column deviates a bit from Improving Investor Behavior, our typical personal finance topic.
—Steve Booren, The Denver Post, 19 Jan. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deviates
Verb
-
If the sky turns ominous and thunder can be heard, find a secure place for shelter.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
10 Nov. 2025
-
And in the fall, when the air turns crisp and the fields turn orange, this unassuming little town reminds visitors that sometimes, the most unique places grow from the simplest seeds (pun intended).—
Karthika Gupta,
Travel + Leisure,
9 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
If this group of hardened degenerates was able to enjoy the action at this level, who, exactly, are the spiritual victims of sports betting?—
Jay Caspian Kang,
New Yorker,
7 Nov. 2025
-
Once Gacy is caught, the media runs with the details — all those bodies crammed in that crawlspace, some of them buried in trenches Gacy made his employees dig out — and paints his victims as runaways or degenerates who put themselves in danger.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
16 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The drama veers from the usual sports-movie cliches by exploring mental health and eating disorders with a dose of psychological horror.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
31 Oct. 2025
-
While Peters veers closer to a stock villain — the ubiquitous empowered dweeb, though those coding-sequence tattoo sleeves are a nice embellishment — Hasan Minhaj and Arturo Castro are appealing as Eve’s ENCOM associates.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
7 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Young feels within range for Eagles general manager Howie Roseman, who always swings for the fences.—
Matthew Schmidt,
MSNBC Newsweek,
29 Oct. 2025
-
But the tone swings between sour and sweet, grounded and silly, and the jokes run more broadly wacky than precise or original.—
Angie Han,
HollywoodReporter,
13 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Frankenstein’s ending notably diverges from its source material in several ways.—
Yasmeen Hamadeh,
PEOPLE,
7 Nov. 2025
-
This is where our brand of technical analysis diverges from the purists who focus on price only.—
Josh Brown,Sean Russo,
CNBC,
6 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Deviates.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deviates. Accessed 19 Nov. 2025.
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