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

But as the normal and the deviant continue to swap places, our cultural monsters—the ones we create, and the ones we hold a mirror up to—continue to raise questions of where we situate decency, what we canonize, and what we try to exorcise.

From Slate

Clearly, to dismiss these ideological tyrants as “weird” seizes back their most treasured possession: the ability to dictate who is normal and who is deviant.

From Slate

How do you think we can reconcile Rhiannon's killing with the undeniably real emotion of female rage, which is often presented as something deviant, or that goes against the grain of how we often see women depicted as sort of quiet and controlled?

From Salon

Everything about his deviant behavior feels like old news.

From Los Angeles Times