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noun

as in average
what is typical of a group, class, or series a temperature chart showing the normals and extremes for various regions

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective normal differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of normal are natural, regular, and typical. While all these words mean "being of the sort or kind that is expected as usual, ordinary, or average," normal implies lack of deviation from what has been discovered or established as the most usual or expected.

normal behavior for a two-year-old

In what contexts can natural take the place of normal?

The meanings of natural and normal largely overlap; however, natural applies to what conforms to a thing's essential nature, function, or mode of being.

the natural love of a mother for her child

When is regular a more appropriate choice than normal?

While in some cases nearly identical to normal, regular stresses conformity to a rule, standard, or pattern.

the club's regular monthly meeting

When might typical be a better fit than normal?

The words typical and normal are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, typical implies showing all important traits of a type, class, or group and may suggest lack of strong individuality.

a typical small town

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 normal
Adjective
Despite the termination, flights are expected to operate as normal, and frequent flyer benefits will remain. Zach Wichter, USA Today, 16 Sep. 2025 Temperatures are expected to return to normal levels, with the hottest places expected to peak in the mid-80s with some mugginess attached. Rick Hurd, Mercury News, 16 Sep. 2025
Noun
While no two years are the same in terms of weather in Tennessee, there are measured normals for regions in the state. Jordan Green, Nashville Tennessean, 17 July 2025 Containerization is the new normal for scalable AI systems. Dr. Aviva Legatt, Forbes.com, 26 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for normal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for normal
Adjective
  • National reconciliation is Lee’s priority despite controversies Ex-President Yoon’s martial law declaration brought tens of thousands of ordinary South Koreans onto the street and rekindled dark memories of military rule.
    Charlie Campbell, Time, 17 Sep. 2025
  • In their experiments, the researchers froze water with different amounts of ordinary salt (NaCl).
    Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 17 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • When Spirit emerged from bankruptcy in March, its leaders were hoping to find more stable financial footing.
    Leslie Josephs, CNBC, 18 Sep. 2025
  • Huff predicts that white and blue collar alike could be on the chopping block, with impacts spread across gig and stable professions and routine jobs like data entry and customer service among those facing the greatest risk.
    Hugh Cameron, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • The typical price of a single-family home in the United States is about $368,000, jumping roughly 13% over the past 5 years and 38% over the last decade, the ABC News data team found.
    ABC News, ABC News, 11 Sep. 2025
  • In typical athlete origin story fashion, the first half of the Christy trailer depicts the unpolished, brunette Sweeney as real-life champion Christy Salters Martin slugging it out in practice, training on a beach, and hugging her supportive team.
    Ryan Coleman, EW.com, 11 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • In three major college towns, the median sale price of a home is about $200,000 or less—less than half the national average.
    Giulia Carbonaro, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Sep. 2025
  • This growth remains significantly below industry averages.
    Lily Mae Lazarus, Fortune, 18 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Many of Garmin’s usual non-connected features are present in the Bounce 2 as well.
    Andrew Williams, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025
  • Temperatures will remain warmer than usual for this time of year, with highs climbing to the upper 80s or near 90 degrees in the metro area.
    Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 17 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Floating somewhere between lucid dreams and nightmares, Desde el Coma feels like waking up gasping for air — a kaleidoscope of bruises, chaos, and resurrection.
    Natalia Cano, Billboard, 22 Aug. 2025
  • Joseph Mitchell was at once the most lucid and the most mysterious of the great mid-century New Yorker writers.
    Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 17 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • And other components of the modern income tax — especially the standard deduction — have reshaped the SALT deduction and its importance over time.
    Joseph Thorndike, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2025
  • The ground beef topping is like a cross between standard taco meat and bean-less chili.
    Ann Taylor Pittman, Southern Living, 15 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • The Louisiana plan also breaks norms on how the National Guard is deployed, Manner said.
    Alex Horton, Arkansas Online, 14 Sep. 2025
  • In addition to the unaided-recognition score, State Farm’s Trainor/trainer mashup was marginally more likable (6%) than the category norm and delivered an attention rating that was 11% higher than the standard insurance offering.
    Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 12 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Normal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/normal. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.

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