What does "deviant" mean?
A person who deviates, especially from norms of social behavior.
Deviant
adj, noun
adj, noun ·3 syllables ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A person who deviates, especially from norms of social behavior.
- Grammar: deviant is listed as adj, noun.
- Nearest alternatives: anomaly, irregularity, nonconformist, outlier.
- Useful contrasts: accurate label, clinical protocol, commonest.
- Usage evidence: In 1980, the Indonesian Ulama (religious scholar) Council, the country’s highest Muslim body, declared Ahmadiyya a "deviant sect."
How to use "deviant"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "deviant" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "deviant" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "deviant" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "deviant" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "deviant" is acting as adj, noun in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "anomaly" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "deviant", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A person who deviates, especially from norms of social behavior.
"He was branded as a deviant and ostracized."
- 2 Alternative letter-case form of deviant (“a member of the online art community DeviantArt”). alt-of
"Matuszczak credits the advice offered up by fellow “Deviants” for his artistic and technical development. […] In such a thicket of creativity, notes Gamiddo, who says he spends up to 10 hours a week on the site, “you have to do some work to get noticed. You get what you give.” In keeping with this philosophy, he has operated over the past three years as a news administrator, heralding the latest software and contests, such as the recent competition calling for Deviants to design a new icon for the legendary metal band Megadeth."
- 3 a person whose behavior deviates from what is acceptable especially in sexual behavior wordnet
- 4 A thing, phenomenon, or trend that deviates from an expectation or pattern.
"As the graph shows, the March sales trend is the deviant."
- 5 A member of the online art community DeviantArt. Internet
"In contrast to Flickr, deviantArt offers a broad range of user affordances, enabling both synchronous and asynchronous interpersonal and group communication, as well as networking with other deviants and the surveillance of the work of others (through the deviantWATCH affordance)."
Adjective
- 1 Characterized by deviation from an expectation or a social standard.
"At the trial, the extent of his deviant behaviour became clear."
Adjective
- 1 markedly different from an accepted norm wordnet
Antonyms
Example
"In 1980, the Indonesian Ulama (religious scholar) Council, the country’s highest Muslim body, declared Ahmadiyya a "deviant sect.""
Common questions
What is a synonym for "deviant"?
Common synonyms include: anomaly, irregularity, nonconformist, outlier, aberrant, aberrant.
How do you use "deviant" in a sentence?
In 1980, the Indonesian Ulama (religious scholar) Council, the country’s highest Muslim body, declared Ahmadiyya a "deviant sect."
Etymology
From Middle English devyaunt (“deviating, different”), from Late Latin dēviāns, present participle of dēviō (“to stray, deviate or detour”). The noun is from the adjective, possibly attested in Middle English with the meaning “one who goes astray”. * (DeviantArt member): So called because the website was originally for people who modified (deviated) computer applications.