Meaning & use
aberration
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Meanings
nouncountable
A temporary or unusual departure from what is normal, expected, or correct, often one that is unwelcome.
Grammar: Takes an article and is often followed by from or in: an aberration from the norm.
Patterns
- an aberration from something
- an aberration in something
- a temporary/statistical aberration
The poor sales figure was an aberration caused by the storm.
His rude reply was an aberration from his usual polite manner.
nouncountable or uncountablephysicsspecialist
In physics and optics, distortion in an image caused by rays not focusing where they should.
Grammar: Often uncountable in technical phrases such as chromatic aberration; countable when naming a particular defect.
Patterns
- chromatic aberration
- spherical aberration
- an aberration in the image
The telescope photo showed slight chromatic aberration at the edges.
A better lens can reduce spherical aberration.
nouncountable or uncountablebiologyspecialist
In biology, a deviation from the normal development, structure, or type of an organism or cell.
Grammar: Usually technical; use uncountable for the general phenomenon and countable for a specific case.
Patterns
- a genetic aberration
- a chromosomal aberration
- aberration in development
Scientists examined whether a chromosomal aberration caused the disorder.
The mutation produced an aberration in the plant's normal leaf pattern.
Word forms
| plural | aberrations |
|---|
Common combinations
- a temporary aberration
- The delay was a temporary aberration, not a sign of failure.
- a statistical aberration
- One high score may be only a statistical aberration.
- an aberration from the norm
- The results were an aberration from the norm established over years.
- chromatic aberration
- Cheap lenses often show chromatic aberration around bright objects.
Synonyms and how they differ
- anomaly
- A neutral departure from the expected pattern; it need not be unwelcome or temporary.
- deviation
- A general movement away from a rule, plan, or average; aberration suggests a stranger, often brief lapse.
- irregularity
- A break from a normal rule or smooth pattern, often smaller or more administrative than an aberration.
- lapse
- A brief failure, usually of judgment or behavior by a person, not a result or natural pattern.
Opposites
Word family
- aberrant adjective
- Departing from what is normal or expected.
- aberrantly adverb
- In a way that departs from the normal or expected.
Commonly confused: aberration or arbitration? aberration or abhorrence?
aberration vs arbitration
Arbitration is a formal process for settling a dispute; an aberration is a departure from the normal.
aberration vs abhorrence
Abhorrence is strong hatred; the similar-looking aberration concerns unusual deviation.
Practice
Which phrase best means a brief, unwelcome departure from the usual pattern?
Choose one answer.
Aberration means an unusual, often unwelcome departure; adaptation is a positive adjustment, arbitration settles disputes, and abhorrence is hatred.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “aberration”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.