abnormal

American  

[ab-nawr-muhl] / æbˈnɔr məl /

adjective

1. not normal, average, typical, or usual; deviating from a standard.

   abnormal powers of concentration; an abnormal amount of snow; abnormal behavior.

   Synonyms:

   odd, unnatural, deviant, irregular, aberrant, anomalous

2. extremely or excessively large.

   abnormal profit.

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abnormal British  

/ æbˈnɔːməl /

adjective

1. not normal; deviating from the usual or typical; extraordinary

2. informal odd in behaviour or appearance; strange

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Related Words

See irregular.

Other Word Forms

• abnormally adverb
• abnormalness noun
• superabnormal adjective
• superabnormally adverb

Etymology

Origin of abnormal

First recorded in 1850–55; ab- + normal; replacing anormal, from Medieval Latin anōrmālus, variant of anōmālus anomalous, influenced by Latin norma norm

Explanation

If you get a snowstorm in the middle of July, you could say that you are experiencing “abnormal weather.” Something that is abnormal is out of the ordinary, or not typical. Abnormal is a combination of the Latin prefix ab which means “away from,” and the English word normal. It essentially means “not normal,” or "unusual.” Abnormal implies that whatever is “not normal” is also undesirable. However, abnormal is sometimes used in a positive context. The phrase “abnormal intelligence,” for instance, usually refers to someone with especially high intelligence.

Example Sentences

The Masters will never be as famous as the British Open for rain-soaked afternoons, yet it’s abnormal for conditions to be this dry.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 11, 2026

This process helps the body remove damaged or abnormal cells and is essential for maintaining healthy tissue.

From Science Daily • Mar. 25, 2026

A Global Times editorial published on Thursday said the lack of people-to-people exchanges between the countries and the long absence of a US presidential visit to China was "abnormal and should not be the case".

From BBC • Mar. 25, 2026

In January, California achieved zero areas of abnormal dryness for the first time in 25 years thanks to a deluge of winter storms, according to the U.S.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 20, 2026

It’s just starting to hit me what he said, that even though I’m different, maybe it’s not in a strange way or an abnormal, tall-girl way.

From "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett

Related Words

• aberrant
• anomalous
• atypical
• bizarre
• exceptional
• extraordinary
• irregular
• odd
• peculiar
• strange
• uncommon
• unexpected
• unnatural
• unusual
• weird