anomalous
adjective
anom·a·lous
ə-ˈnä-mə-ləs 
1
2
a
: of uncertain nature or classification
an anomalous figure in the world of politics
b
: marked by incongruity or contradiction : paradoxical
anomalously
adverb
anomalousness
noun
Examples of anomalous in a Sentence
Researchers could not explain the anomalous test results.
that was an anomalous year for the housing industry, so the number of starts is anything but typical
Recent Examples on the Web
Proactively track incident response times, blind spots and potentially abnormal/anomalous alerts to ensure system function.
—
Douglas Murray, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
Initial unemployment insurance claims last week hit their highest level since October 2021, though the main cause was what could be an anomalous spike in Texas and distortions from the Labor Day holiday.
—Jeff Cox, CNBC, 11 Sep. 2025
UFOs are short for unidentified flying objects, which the government now refers to as unidentified anomalous phenomena, or UAP.
—Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 10 Sep. 2025
At the hearing, three U.S. military veterans will share their experiences witnessing UAP, or unidentified anomalous phenomena, a new term for UFOs that encompasses strange objects or events not only in the sky but also in water or space, or that appear to travel between these domains.
—Brett Tingley, Space.com, 8 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for anomalous
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Douglas Murray, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
Initial unemployment insurance claims last week hit their highest level since October 2021, though the main cause was what could be an anomalous spike in Texas and distortions from the Labor Day holiday.
—Jeff Cox, CNBC, 11 Sep. 2025
UFOs are short for unidentified flying objects, which the government now refers to as unidentified anomalous phenomena, or UAP.
—Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 10 Sep. 2025
At the hearing, three U.S. military veterans will share their experiences witnessing UAP, or unidentified anomalous phenomena, a new term for UFOs that encompasses strange objects or events not only in the sky but also in water or space, or that appear to travel between these domains.
—Brett Tingley, Space.com, 8 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for anomalous
Cite this Entry
“Anomalous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/anomalous. Accessed 20 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
anomalous
adjective
anom·a·lous
ə-ˈnäm-ə-ləs
anomalously
adverb
anomalousness
noun
Medical Definition
anomalous
adjective
anom·a·lous
ə-ˈnäm-ə-ləs
: deviating from normal
anomalous development
anomalous pulmonary venous drainage—Physicians' Current Procedural Terminology
Physicians' Current Procedural Terminology
specifically
: having abnormal vision with respect to a particular color but not color-blind
she was almost red anomalous —Nature
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