What does "deviate" mean?
A person with deviant behaviour; a deviant, degenerate or pervert.
Deviate
/ˈdiː.vi.eɪt/ adj, noun, verb
adj, noun, verb ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A person with deviant behaviour; a deviant, degenerate or pervert.
- Grammar: deviate is listed as adj, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: deviant, aberrant, alter, ameliorate.
- Useful contrasts: generic pattern, microbial measure, patterned design.
- Usage evidence: Let's not deviate from the subject.
How to use "deviate"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "deviate" 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 "deviate" 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 "deviate" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "deviate" 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 "deviate" is acting as adj, noun, verb 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 "deviant" 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 "deviate", 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 with deviant behaviour; a deviant, degenerate or pervert.
"[…] Walton has suggested that it is desirable "to name the phenomena signs of deviation, and call their possessors deviates or a deviate as the case may be […]"
- 2 a person whose behavior deviates from what is acceptable especially in sexual behavior wordnet
- 3 A value equal to the difference between a measured variable factor and a fixed or algorithmic reference value.
"It will be noted that for a deviate x = 1.5, the ordinate z will have the value .130 […]"
Verb
- 1 To go off course from; to change course; to change plans. intransitive
"These two circumstances, however, happening both unfortunately to intervene, our travellers deviated into a much less frequented track; and after riding full six miles, instead of arriving at the stately spires of Coventry, they found themselves still in a very dirty lane, where they saw no symptoms of approaching the suburbs of a large city."
- 2 turn aside; turn away from wordnet
- 3 To fall outside of, or part from, some norm; to stray. figuratively, intransitive
"His exhibition of nude paintings deviated from the norm."
- 4 cause to turn away from a previous or expected course wordnet
- 5 To cause to diverge. transitive
Show 1 more definition
- 6 be at variance with; be out of line with wordnet
Adjective
- 1 deviant
"It's somewhat in vogue to give special attention and consideration to the alternative lifestyle, which five years ago we would have called the deviate lifestyle."
Adjective
- 1 markedly different from an accepted norm wordnet
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
generic patternmicrobial measurepatterned designpatterned paper
Example
"Let's not deviate from the subject."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "deviate"?
Common synonyms include: deviant, aberrant, alter, ameliorate, angle, angle off.
How do you use "deviate" in a sentence?
Let's not deviate from the subject.
How do you pronounce "deviate"?
Pronounced /ˈdiː.vi.eɪt/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Late Latin dēviātus, perfect passive participle of dēviō, see -ate (verb-forming suffix) for more. Compare French dévier.
Etymology 2
From a substantivation of Late Latin dēviātus, see Etymology 1 and -ate (noun-forming suffix) for more.
Etymology 3
From Late Latin dēviātus, see Etymology 1 and -ate (adjective-forming suffix) for more.