deviant

[ dee-vee-uhnt ]
See synonyms for deviant on Thesaurus.com
adjective
  1. deviating or departing from the norm; characterized by deviation: deviant social behavior.

noun
  1. a person or thing that deviates or departs markedly from the accepted norm.

Origin of deviant

1
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Late Latin dēviant-, stem of dēviāns “straying,” present participle of dēviāre “to stray, turn from the road”; see deviate

Other words from deviant

  • non·de·vi·ant, adjective, noun

Words that may be confused with deviant

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use deviant in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for deviant

deviant

/ (ˈdiːvɪənt) /


adjective
  1. deviating, as from what is considered acceptable behaviour

noun
  1. a person whose behaviour, esp sexual behaviour, deviates from what is considered to be acceptable

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