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
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Like one icicle falling from an alpine crag onto an unstable snow cornice below, a small slide rapidly turns into a thundering avalanche.—
Edward Lotterman,
Twin Cities,
19 Oct. 2025
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With its brilliant cast—Gene Wilder, Peter Boyle, Marty Feldman, Cloris Leachman, Teri Garr, Madeline Kahn—and incredibly funny script, Mel Brooks’s Young Frankenstein turns Mary Shelley’s classic story totally on its head.—
Emma Specter,
Vogue,
19 Oct. 2025
Verb
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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
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While the series veers more toward the action side of things, stealth is also incredibly important.—
George Yang,
Vulture,
3 Sep. 2025
Verb
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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
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Stacey might have the upper hand now, but Gizelle seems to have a knack for being there when the boomerang inevitably swings back.—
Shamira Ibrahim,
Vulture,
13 Oct. 2025
Verb
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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
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Powell’s cautious stance diverges from that of several colleagues on the Fed’s rate-setting committee.—
Gabe Whisnant,
MSNBC Newsweek,
23 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Deviates.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deviates. Accessed 20 Oct. 2025.
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