as in abnormal
departing from some accepted standard of what is normal
some studies show that many violent criminals begin exhibiting deviant behavior in early childhood
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in maverick
a person who does not conform to generally accepted standards or customs
branded as social deviants by a society that did not value self-expression
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of deviant
Pamela Avila,
USA Today,
15 Feb. 2026
Meanwhile, a deviant killer operating in the yakuza underworld seems to be shadowing their moves.
—
Andreas Wiseman,
Deadline,
1 Jan. 2026
Caleb Warren,
CNBC,
20 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for deviant
Adjective
All there is to do, sometimes, is know in your heart of hearts that a nuanced piece of literature and a provocative and deviant piece of pop culture can exist alongside each other without one diminishing the other.
—
Pamela Avila,
USA Today,
15 Feb. 2026
Meanwhile, a deviant killer operating in the yakuza underworld seems to be shadowing their moves.
—
Andreas Wiseman,
Deadline,
1 Jan. 2026
Noun
Cool people aren't merely deviants.
—
Caleb Warren,
CNBC,
20 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for deviant
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deviant
Adjective
-
In this context, when screening healthy asymptomatic people who aren’t at high risk, the chance at an ideal screening result of identifying abnormal tissue that can be eliminated is very low.
-
The abnormal heat has been driven by the onset of El Niño, a natural climate pattern characterized by unusually warm waters along the equatorial tropical Pacific Ocean.
Noun
-
His maverick persona and armored storm-chasing vehicle, the Dominator 3 — featured on Jay Leno’s Garage — directly inspired the character of Tyler Owens, played by Glen Powell in the 2024 summer blockbuster Twisters.
-
In a way, the fact that Huston was made up of two halves — one part iconoclastic maverick, one part old school craftsman — gave him an edge his fellow septuagenarians lacked.
Adjective
-
Even after extensive engineering, Coach Eve would take about three seconds to reply to a question—a delay users felt was uncomfortable and unnatural.
-
His speech was an unnatural blur.
Noun
-
With its loose ends and digressions, Dream Me a Dream stays true to those idiosyncratic instincts while retaining enough of the welcoming glow of Dance of Love to make this an affecting farewell from an endearing eccentric.
-
The eccentric cuz is quick to try and help Bobby solve problems, which often gets him into trouble, but ultimately pushes him out of his shell.
Cite this Entry
“Deviant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deviant. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
