anomaly

American  

[uh-nom-uh-lee] / əˈnɒm ə li /

noun

• anomalies
  plural

1. a deviation from the common rule, type, arrangement, or form.

   Synonyms:

   exception, aberration, abnormality

2. 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

3. an odd, peculiar, or strange condition, situation, quality, etc.

4. an incongruity or inconsistency.

5. 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.

6. Meteorology. the amount of deviation of a meteorological quantity from the accepted normal value of that quantity.

7. Grammar. irregularity.

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anomaly British  

/ əˈnɒməlɪ /

noun

1. something anomalous

2. deviation from the normal or usual order, type, etc; irregularity

3. astronomy

   1. Also called: true anomaly.  the angle between a planet, the sun, and the previous perihelion of the planet

   2. 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

   3. 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

4. geology

   1. 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

   2. 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

Derived Forms

• anomalistic
  adjective
• anomalistically
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• anomalies
  plural

Etymology

Origin of anomaly

First recorded in 1565–75; from Latin anōmalia, from Greek anōmalía, equivalent to anṓmal(os) “irregular” + -ia noun suffix; see anomalous, -ia

Explanation

An anomaly is an abnormality, a blip on the screen of life that doesn’t fit with the rest of the pattern. If you are a breeder of black dogs and one puppy comes out pink, that puppy is an anomaly. The noun anomaly comes from the Greek word anomolia, meaning "uneven” or “irregular.” When something is unusual compared to similar things around it, it’s the anomaly. If you are an Olympian who comes from a family of bookish types who all find it strenuous to walk the dog, you are an anomaly.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

anomaly anomalies

The dashboard also aggregates forecasts that put El Nino on course to peak at a 3.9C anomaly this November -- well above the 3C anomaly detected in the 2015 El Nino.

From Barron's ● Aug. 20, 2026

Then again, the cycle identified by Kaeppel is hardly the only calendar-based anomaly to be identified by market researchers.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 11, 2026

Stories like Jang's and Oh's resonate deeply in South Korea, where gruelling work hours are no anomaly.

From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026

The restaurant, which felt like an anomaly, could not be replicated.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026

The following sports anomaly has legal implications as well.

From "Innumeracy: Mathematical Illiteracy and Its Consequences" by John Allen Paulos

Latest forecasts from the Met Office suggest that these temperature anomalies could exceed 3C later this year as El Niño nears its peak.

From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026

The fake party invite did not lead to the official website for a start, and there were anomalies like an extra “s.”

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 4, 2026

Just a few years ago, early-career packages pushing seven figures were anomalies, said Matt Stabile, founder of New York-based recruitment firm Stabile Search.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026

All these anomalies could become more and more regular -- California has seen marine heat waves every year since 2019.

From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026

“There are no anomalies present, Susan. The variations in wording and the time reactions are within the limits of ordinary frequency groupings. We need finer methods. They must have computers here. No.”

From "I, Robot" by Isaac Asimov

Related Words

• aberration
• abnormality
• deviation
• inconsistency
• irregularity
• oddity
• rarity