What does "deviation" mean?
The act of deviating; wandering off the correct or true path or road.
Deviation
/ˌdiː.viˈeɪʃən/ noun
noun ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: The act of deviating; wandering off the correct or true path or road.
- Grammar: deviation is listed as noun.
- Nearest alternatives: departure, difference, divergence, aberrance.
- Useful contrasts: canonical norm, civil provision, current norms.
- Usage evidence: By averaging the squared difference between each value and the mean and finding the square root of the result, we can find the standard deviation.
How to use "deviation"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "deviation" 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 "deviation" 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 "deviation" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "deviation" 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 "deviation" is acting as 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 "departure" 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 "deviation", 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 The act of deviating; wandering off the correct or true path or road. countable, uncountable
- 2 a turning aside (of your course or attention or concern) wordnet
- 3 A departure from the correct way of acting. countable, uncountable
"The combination of Archie Jones’s working-class, Cockney accent, Samad’s Asian-English and Clara’s Creolized Caribbean English represent socio-linguistic deviations from Standard English as the centripetal forces of language undermining any notion of a homoglossic centre to the nation’s language and culture."
- 4 deviate behavior wordnet
- 5 The state or result of having deviated; a transgression; an act of sin; an error; an offense. countable, uncountable
"mankind’s deviation from divine will"
Show 9 more definitions
- 6 the error of a compass due to local magnetic disturbances wordnet
- 7 A detour in a road or railway. countable, uncountable
""A rough place, my last district; sixty navvies on the Springbank deviation works, let alone eighty of these dole bugs to attend to.""
- 8 the difference between an observed value and the expected value of a variable or function wordnet
- 9 A detour to one side of the originally-planned flightpath (for instance, to avoid weather); the act of making such a detour. countable, uncountable
"The flightcrew observed en route thunderstorms both visually and on the airplane's weather radar, so they requested and received clearance for a deviation to the left of course from the HNL Combined Center Radar Approach Control (CERAP)."
- 10 a variation that deviates from the standard or norm wordnet
- 11 The voluntary and unnecessary departure of a ship from, or delay in, the regular and usual course of the specific voyage insured, thus releasing the underwriters from their responsibility. countable, uncountable
- 12 The shortest distance between the center of the target and the point where a projectile hits or bursts. countable, uncountable
- 13 For interval variables and ratio variables, a measure of difference between the observed value and the mean. countable, uncountable
- 14 The signed difference between a value and its reference value. countable, uncountable
Antonyms
canonical normcivil provisioncurrent normseducational reference
Example
"By averaging the squared difference between each value and the mean and finding the square root of the result, we can find the standard deviation."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "deviation"?
Common synonyms include: departure, difference, divergence, aberrance, aberrancy, aberration.
How do you use "deviation" in a sentence?
By averaging the squared difference between each value and the mean and finding the square root of the result, we can find the standard deviation.
How do you pronounce "deviation"?
Pronounced /ˌdiː.viˈeɪʃən/.
Etymology
From Middle French deviation, from Medieval Latin deviatio. Morphologically deviate + -ion.