Anomaly
/əˈnɒməli/
nounIntermediate📊CommonGeneral
1 meaning2 questions
Definitions
1
Something that is unusual or unexpected.
/əˈnɒməli/
nounneutralIntermediate
General
Something that deviates from what is standard, normal, or expected.
The high temperature in December was an anomaly.
💡 Simply: Something different or strange.
More Examples
2
His behavior was an anomaly; he was usually so calm.
How It's Used
Science
"The scientist noted an anomaly in the data."
Statistics
"The outlier was considered a statistical anomaly."
From Late Latin *anomalīa, from Greek ἀνωμαλία (anōmalía) "irregularity", from ἀν- (an-) "not" + ὁμαλός (homalós) "even, level, regular".
The word has been used in scientific contexts since the 17th century, but its broader usage increased in recent times.
Memory tip
Think 'a-nom-ally' - something that is not the norm.
Word Origin
LanguageGreek
Original meaning
"irregularity"
Base: anomaly
statistical anomalydetect an anomalysignificant anomaly
Common misspellings
anomalyyanomallieanomolly
Practice
Usage
20%Spoken
80%Written