normal

Meanings

1. 1adjectivenot comparable

   Typical, usual, or expected; not strange or different from the standard.

   Grammar: Not usually graded; say quite or completely normal, not *more normal (except in phrases like more normal levels).

   Patterns

   • normal for someone
   • it's normal to do something
   • a normal day or life

   It's completely normal to feel nervous before an interview.

   Traffic was much heavier than normal for a Sunday morning.

2. 2adjectivenot comparable

   Healthy, or working in the usual way; not damaged or ill.

   Grammar: Follows linking verbs like be, seem, and return: The results were normal.

   Patterns

   • back to normal
   • normal range or levels
   • a normal result

   The doctor said my blood pressure is completely normal.

   It took two weeks for the train service to return to normal.

3. 3nounsingular

   The usual or expected state or level.

   Grammar: Used with the; common in the phrases back to normal and the new normal.

   Patterns

   • back to normal
   • return to normal
   • the new normal

   After the storm, it was months before life returned to normal.

   Video meetings have become the new normal for many companies.

4. 4adjectivenot comparabletechnicalmathematics

   Meeting a line, curve, or surface at exactly 90 degrees; perpendicular.

   Grammar: Technical; usually followed by to: a line normal to the surface.

   Patterns

   • normal to something
   • a normal line

   Draw a line normal to the curve at the point where x equals 3.

   The force acts along a direction normal to the wall.

Common combinations

completely normal

It's completely normal to miss your friends when you move away.

back to normal

Once the repairs were finished, everything was back to normal.

normal range

Her temperature is well within the normal range.

a normal life

After years of touring, he just wanted to live a normal life.

return to normal

Flights returned to normal after the fog lifted.

the new normal

Working from home two days a week has become the new normal.

Synonyms and how they differ

ordinary

Emphasizes not being special or remarkable; normal emphasizes matching what is usual or healthy.

typical

Means being a good example of what usually happens; normal is broader and can also mean healthy.

standard

Suggests matching an agreed or required level, as in standard size; normal simply means usual.

Opposites

Word family

norm noun

The usual or accepted way of doing something.

normally adverb

In the usual way; also used to mean usually at the start of a sentence.

normality noun

The state of being normal (British spelling; the American variant is normalcy).

normalize verb

To make something seem normal or to return it to a normal state.

Commonly confused: normal or average?

Practice

Make it your own

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

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