Meaning & use

anomalous

adjective·Academic

Deviating from what is standard, normal, or expected in a way that is puzzling or hard to classify.

See it in a sentence

The researchers flagged the anomalous reading because it did not match any known pattern.

His anomalous behavior at the meeting worried colleagues who knew him as calm and reserved.

A note on using this word

Anomalous is common in scientific and technical writing to describe data or results that do not fit an established pattern.

Words with a similar meaning

irregularabnormalatypical

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

Words with an opposite meaning

normaltypical

Make it your own

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