deviant

[ dee-vee-uhnt ]

adjective

1. deviating or departing from the norm; characterized by deviation:

   deviant social behavior.

noun

1. a person or thing that deviates or departs markedly from the accepted norm.

deviant

/ ˈdiːvɪənt /

adjective

1. deviating, as from what is considered acceptable behaviour

noun

1. a person whose behaviour, esp sexual behaviour, deviates from what is considered to be acceptable

Other Words From

• non·devi·ant adjective noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of deviant¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Late Latin dēviant-, stem of dēviāns “straying,” present participle of dēviāre “to stray, turn from the road”; deviate

Example Sentences

"The hatred and deviant fascination the defendants have shown in relation to the cruelty and abuse towards monkeys is incomprehensible," he said.

From BBC

Everything about his deviant behavior feels like old news.

From Los Angeles Times

It has also been linked to Al-Arqam, a religious sect that was banned by the Malaysian government in 1994 due to concerns about deviant Islamic teachings.

From BBC

She and others argue this has injected racist stereotypes into policing, leading to Indigenous Australians being treated as "deviant, drug addicted, or alcoholics" and paid undue attention.

From BBC

"If you feed that deviant fantasy, then you're making it more likely you're going to do harm to children," he said.

From BBC