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aberrant

1 of 2

adjective

ab·er·ranta-ˈber-ənt How to pronounce aberrant (audio)

ə-,

-ˈbe-rənt;

ˈa-bə-rənt How to pronounce aberrant (audio)

-ˌber-ənt,

-ˌbe-rənt

Synonyms ofaberrant next

:deviating from the usual or natural type:atypical,abnormal

aberrant behavior

I don't intend to suggest that his psychology was in some wayaberrant or neurotic …—

Michael Chabon

:straying from the right or normal way

aberrant misfits

aberrance

a-ˈber-ən(t)s How to pronounce aberrant (audio)

ə-

-ˈbe-rən(t)s;

ˈa-bə-rən(t)s How to pronounce aberrant (audio)

-ˌber-ən(t)s

-ˌbe-rən(t)s

noun

aberrantlyadverb

aberrant

2 of 2

noun

:a group, individual, or structure that is not normal or typical:an aberrant group, individual, or structure

:a person whose behavior departs substantially from the standard

Did you know?

Something aberrant has wandered away from the usual path or form. The word is generally used in a negative way; aberrant behavior, for example, may be a symptom of other problems. But the discovery of an aberrant variety of a species can be exciting news to a biologist, and identifying an aberrant gene has led the way to new treatments for diseases.

Synonyms

Adjective

See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples ofaberrant in a Sentence

AdjectiveThe stones, silvered in the moon'saberrant light, shone like spectral tombs, and the figures, which Dalgliesh knew were Helena, Lettie and the Bostocks, became discarnate shapes disappearing into the darkness.—

P. D. James,The Private Patient,2008

… as if he had happily spied anaberrant crocus amid the wintry gray scene of Presidential impeachment.—

Francis X. Clines,New York Times,8 Jan. 1999

… at the brief andaberrant moment in time when it was possible to believe that America owed its great place in the world to its military and moral virtue rather than to the weight of its currency.—

Lewis H. Lapham,Harper's,March 1992

a year ofaberrant weather—record rainfall in the summer, record heat in the autumnaberrant behavior can be a sign of rabies in a wild animal

Recent Examples on the Web

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage.Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.Send us feedback.

Adjective

Back in 2022, researchers at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg in Germany showed that administering CAR T-cell therapy to five people with severe lupus could completely remove theaberrantB cells, sending all of the patients into remission.—

Juergen Eckhardt,Forbes.com, 23 Apr. 2025Things that people think are morally abnormal –aberrantbehavior, transgressions, violations of their most sacred values – are viewed as highly threatening and necessary to shut down, with force if necessary.—

Jen Cole Wright,The Conversation, 14 Apr. 2025The overwhelmed administration levied minimal consequences, leading to the student having the impression that theiraberrantbehavior would result in no significant punitive action.—

Martin Potters,The Orlando Sentinel, 30 Mar. 2025One of the body’s own cells becomes damaged or corrupted and then multiplies to create copies of itsaberrantself.—

Ingrid Wickelgren,Scientific American, 14 Feb. 2025See All Example Sentences foraberrant

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

borrowed from Latinaberrant-, aberrans, present participle ofaberrāre "to wander away, stray, go wrong," fromab-ab- +errāre "to wander, drift, be in error" — more aterr

Noun

noun derivative ofaberrantentry 1

First Known Use

Adjective

circa 1536, in the meaning defined atsense 2

Noun

1840, in the meaning defined atsense 1

Time Traveler

The first known use ofaberrant was circa 1536

See more words from the same year