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noun

as in average
what is typical of a group, class, or series a temperature chart showing the normals and extremes for various regions

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective normal differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of normal are natural, regular, and typical. While all these words mean "being of the sort or kind that is expected as usual, ordinary, or average," normal implies lack of deviation from what has been discovered or established as the most usual or expected.

normal behavior for a two-year-old

In what contexts can natural take the place of normal?

The meanings of natural and normal largely overlap; however, natural applies to what conforms to a thing's essential nature, function, or mode of being.

the natural love of a mother for her child

When is regular a more appropriate choice than normal?

While in some cases nearly identical to normal, regular stresses conformity to a rule, standard, or pattern.

the club's regular monthly meeting

When might typical be a better fit than normal?

The words typical and normal are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, typical implies showing all important traits of a type, class, or group and may suggest lack of strong individuality.

a typical small town

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 normal
Adjective
This year the market will open two weeks earlier than normal. Gloria Casas, Chicago Tribune, 14 July 2025 Near normal temperatures are expected on Monday, with highs reaching the mid-80s. Haadiza Ogwude, The Enquirer, 14 July 2025
Noun
The movie’s over-all arc is a common one: from the unquestioned routines of daily life to the strange new normal of risks and precautions, fears and constraints, illness and deaths; from there to an eventual sense of wary relief. Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 13 Mar. 2025 The bottom line is that nearly four years into this new normal in college football, NFL teams are still trying to master a transfer landscape that isn’t going away. Nick Kosmider, New York Times, 10 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for normal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for normal
Adjective
  • Our party wants to give ordinary workers a raise by raising the living wage.
    Andrew Stanton, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 July 2025
  • Davis has another theory, that ‘Squid Game’ benefited from a COVID-era viewership and ‘Shōgun’ benefited from the Hollywood strikes, but in ordinary years there’s still a hurdle to non-English programs.
    Michael Schneider, Variety, 18 July 2025
Adjective
  • His early stardom never quite translated into a stable senior career as opportunities dried up in a system overflowing with talent.
    Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 11 July 2025
  • The president further argues that lower rates will make financing the ever-increasing federal debt cheaper, a factor which does not play into the Fed’s statutory dual mandate of ensuring maximum sustainable employment and stable prices.
    Ron Insana, CNBC, 11 July 2025
Adjective
  • The size of a typical studio apartment is 500 to 600 square feet.
    Kate Talerico, Mercury News, 14 July 2025
  • Among the amenities typical of a hotel, the lodge complex included a saloon, a deli, a coffee shop, a post office, a gift shop, and a visitors center.
    Perry Vandell, AZCentral.com, 13 July 2025
Noun
  • As of 2024, an inmate spent an average of 269 months – more than 22 years – on death row awaiting execution, according to the Death Penalty Information Center.
    Dakin Andone, CNN Money, 20 July 2025
  • Beer can also get quite expensive, costing an average of $7.18, but going as high as $15, according to Statista.
    Jeanette Hurt, Forbes.com, 20 July 2025
Adjective
  • As usual, Trump did most of the talking, but Rutte was clearly on board and confirmed key details.
    Daniel Fried, Time, 15 July 2025
  • For deeper repair, apply generously as an overnight scalp and hair mask, then wash and style as usual the next day.
    Kiana Murden, Vogue, 15 July 2025
Adjective
  • The glasses are available in a Midas Fleck colorway, with a black lucid treatment and gold details, featuring Prizm 24K lenses.
    Jean E. Palmieri, Footwear News, 9 July 2025
  • Han, who won the Nobel Prize in Literature last year, has written about the Jeju uprising before in the brutal and lucid 2014 novel Human Acts.
    Vulture Editors, Vulture, 8 July 2025
Adjective
  • In this way, the image captures both the bright corona, visible from Earth only during a total solar eclipse, as well as fine details that standard exposures would miss.
    Carlyn Kranking, Smithsonian Magazine, 14 July 2025
  • The standard objection is that raising taxes on wealthy Americans will chase them away.
    Daniel de Visé, USA Today, 14 July 2025
Noun
  • Manfred has said multiple times that offseason lockouts are a norm in professional sports, a point the union has taken to mean a lockout in baseball is a foregone conclusion come December 2026.
    Evan Drellich, New York Times, 10 July 2025
  • The truth is that both break traditional airflow assumptions, challenge heat rejection norms and force us to rethink redundancy models.
    Aparna Prabhakar, Forbes.com, 10 July 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Normal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/normal. Accessed 24 Jul. 2025.

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