anomaly
Americannoun
plural
anomalies-
a deviation from the common rule, type, arrangement, or form.
- Synonyms:
- exception, aberration, abnormality
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an anomalous person or thing; one that is abnormal or does not fit in.
With his quiet nature, he was an anomaly in his exuberant family.
- Synonyms:
- exception, aberration, abnormality
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an odd, peculiar, or strange condition, situation, quality, etc.
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an incongruity or inconsistency.
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Astronomy. a quantity measured in degrees, defining the position of an orbiting body with respect to the point at which it is nearest to or farthest from its primary.
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Meteorology. the amount of deviation of a meteorological quantity from the accepted normal value of that quantity.
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Grammar. irregularity.
noun
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something anomalous
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deviation from the normal or usual order, type, etc; irregularity
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astronomy
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Also called: true anomaly. the angle between a planet, the sun, and the previous perihelion of the planet
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Also called: eccentric anomaly. the angle between the periapsis of a particular point on a circle round the orbit as seen from the centre of the orbit. This point is obtained by producing a perpendicular to the major axis of the ellipse through the orbiting body until it reaches the circumference of the circle
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Also called: mean anomaly. the angle between the periapsis of an orbit and the position of an imaginary body orbiting at a constant angular speed and in the same period as the real orbiting body
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geology
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Also called: gravity anomaly. a deviation from the normal value of gravity at the earth's surface, caused by density differences at depth, for example those caused by a buried mineral body
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Also called: magnetic anomaly. a magnetic field, for example one produced by a buried mineral body, that deviates from an expected or standard value, usually that of the earth's magnetic field
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Other Word Forms
- anomalistic adjective
- anomalistically adverb
Etymology
Origin of anomaly
First recorded in 1565–75; from Latin anōmalia, from Greek anōmalía, equivalent to anṓmal(os) “irregular” + -ia noun suffix; anomalous, -ia
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Artificial intelligence technology has helped radiologists identify anomalies in images that human users have missed.
From Los Angeles Times
New findings published in Physics of the Earth and Planetary Interiors show that the anomaly expanded steadily between 2014 and 2025.
From Science Daily
“Our job is to represent what’s happening in our community,” Messineo said, adding that immigration and social impact are not anomalies at the fair but part of its foundation.
From Los Angeles Times
The agency admitted that, for decades, the government had lied and said the sightings of the mysterious, high-altitude silver crafts were just weather anomalies.
Navy helicopters, which can land on the warships and hover just above the waves, scan surrounding waters using equipment including magnetic anomaly detectors that sense metal below.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
