deviance

[ dee-vee-uhns ]

noun

1. deviant quality or state.
2. deviant behavior.

deviance

/ ˈdiːvɪəns /

noun

1. Also calleddeviancy the act or state of being deviant
2. statistics a measure of the degree of fit of a statistical model compared to that of a more complete model

Word History and Origins

Origin of deviance¹

First recorded in 1940–45; devi(ant) + -ance

Example Sentences

Given the ex-president’s cantankerous and what appears to be an increasingly unwell mental and emotional state — even by his already low standards where deviance is a baseline — he is reacting to this change in political fortunes very poorly.

From Salon

The character’s deviance from all authority and especially male authority lives in her feminism, her clothes and her music taste.

From Salon

In another example of how none of this is normal and America’s elites and those so-called guardians of democracy and “the system” have normalized Trump’s deviance and evil, the corrupt ex-president, traitor, Jan. 6 coup attempter, defendant who is facing hundreds of years in prison for serious felonies – which include stealing classified and other top secret documents – will soon be getting intelligence briefings.

From Salon

This is referred to as deviance detection, and neuroscientists led by Johannes Wetekam and Professor Manfred Kössl from the Neurobiology and Biosensors Working Group at the Institute of Cell Biology and Neuroscience at Goethe University Frankfurt are exploring its mechanisms.

From Science Daily

The study also showed that the brainstem can utilize other features of bat calls for deviance detection, such as rapid changes in frequency or volume, in addition to differences in pitch.

From Science Daily