Meaning & use

anomaly

noun·Academic

Something that deviates from what is standard, normal, or expected.

See it in a sentence

The scientist noticed an anomaly in the data that didn't match any known pattern.

His calm reaction to the crisis was an anomaly among his usually anxious coworkers.

A note on using this word

Anomaly is common in scientific and technical writing to flag results that need further explanation rather than simple errors.

Words with a similar meaning

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Words with an opposite meaning

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