VocabularyBasePractice words

Meaning & use

deviant

adjective, noun·Academic

Last updated

UK/ˈdiːviənt/
US/ˈdiviənt/

Meanings

  1. adjectivecomparable

    Departing noticeably from what is normal or accepted, especially in social behavior.

    Grammar: Used before a noun or after a verb: deviant behavior, or his conduct was deviant.

    Patterns

    • deviant from something

    Sociologists study deviant behavior to understand how societies set their rules.

    The teacher worried that his deviant habits would spread through the class.

    The experiment produced one deviant result that did not match the others.

  2. nouncountabledisapproving

    A person whose behavior is far outside accepted social norms.

    Grammar: Often judgmental and can be offensive when aimed at a real person.

    Patterns

    • a deviant from something

    In older textbooks, the deviant was treated as someone to be corrected.

    The word deviant was once used carelessly to label anyone who looked different.

    Writers now avoid calling people deviants because the term sounds like an insult.

Word forms

pluraldeviants

Common combinations

deviant behavior
The study looked at how schools respond to deviant behavior.
deviant from the norm
The data point was deviant from the norm, so we checked it twice.
deviant subculture
The researcher interviewed members of a deviant subculture.
labeled deviant
Teenagers are often labeled deviant for minor rule-breaking.
deviant strain
A deviant strain of the bacteria resisted the drug.

Synonyms and how they differ

abnormal
Abnormal is broader and neutral, while deviant stresses a departure from social or moral standards.
aberrant
Aberrant is more formal and fits scientific or logical contexts, whereas deviant leans toward people and behavior.
unconventional
Unconventional is mild and may even be admiring, while deviant usually carries disapproval.
atypical
Atypical simply means not typical and has no moral judgment, unlike deviant.

Opposites

conformingnormal

Word family

deviance noun
behavior that breaks social norms
deviate verb
to turn away from a standard or path
deviation noun
a departure from a standard
deviantly adverb
in a way that breaks norms

Commonly confused: deviant or divergent?

deviant vs divergent

Divergent means going in different directions or growing apart, without the suggestion of rule-breaking that deviant carries.

Practice

Sociologists use the term ___ behavior for actions that break the accepted rules of a group.

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “deviant”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

Your sentence stays on this page and is not sent anywhere.

Explore more words