Standard Lemma guide

abnormal

adj · noun · 6 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˌæbˈnɔː.məl/
  • General-American: /ˌæbˈnɔɹ.ml̩/
  • General-American: /əbˈnɔɹ.ml̩/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ɔː(ɹ)məl
  • CMU ARPABET: AE0 B N AO1 R M AH0 L Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Not conforming to rule or system; deviating from the usual or normal type.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

Of or pertaining to that which is irregular, in particular, behaviour that deviates from norms of social propriety or accepted standards of mental health.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

A person or object that is not normal.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

adjective

Meaning 4

not normal; not typical or usual or regular or conforming to a norm

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • abnormal powers of concentration
  • abnormal amounts of rain
  • abnormal circumstances
  • an abnormal interest in food

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: unnatural

Antonyms: normal

5

adjective

Meaning 5

departing from the normal in e.g. intelligence and development

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • they were heartbroken when they learned their child was abnormal
  • an abnormal personality

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: normal

6

adjective satellite

Meaning 6

much greater than the normal

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • abnormal profits
  • abnormal ambition

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From ab- + normal. First attested in 1835, replacing the earlier anormal and even earlier abnormous, from Latin abnormis (“departing from normal”), from either ab- (“away from”) + norma (“rule, norm”), or Ancient Greek ἀνώμαλος (anṓmalos).

Across languages

Translations

107 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Afrikaans: abnormaal — not conforming to rule or system
  • Afrikaans: gestrem — not conforming to rule or system
  • Arabic: غَيْر طَبِيعِيّ (ḡayr ṭabīʕiyy) — not conforming to rule or system
  • Arabic: مش طبيعي (meš ṭabiʕi) — not conforming to rule or system
  • Asturian: anormal — not conforming to rule or system
  • Bulgarian: неправилен (nepravilen) — not conforming to rule or system
  • Bulgarian: необичаен (neobičaen) — not conforming to rule or system
  • Bulgarian: ненормален (nenormalen) — not conforming to rule or system
  • Bulgarian: противоестествен (protivoestestven) — not conforming to rule or system
  • Carpathian Rusyn: ненормалный (nenormalnŷj) — not conforming to rule or system
  • Catalan: anormal — not conforming to rule or system
  • Chinese Mandarin: 異常 /异常 (yìcháng) — not conforming to rule or system
  • Czech: abnormální — not conforming to rule or system
  • Danish: unormal — not conforming to rule or system
  • Danish: abnorm — not conforming to rule or system
  • Dutch: abnormaal — not conforming to rule or system
  • Esperanto: anomalia — not conforming to rule or system
  • Esperanto: nenormala — not conforming to rule or system
  • Estonian: ebanormaalne — not conforming to rule or system
  • Finnish: epänormaali — not conforming to rule or system
  • Finnish: poikkeava — not conforming to rule or system
  • French: inhabituel — not conforming to rule or system
  • French: hors norme — not conforming to rule or system
  • French: exceptionnel — not conforming to rule or system
  • French: anormal — not conforming to rule or system
  • Galician: anormal — not conforming to rule or system
  • German: unnormal — not conforming to rule or system
  • German: ungewöhnlich — not conforming to rule or system
  • German: abnorm — not conforming to rule or system
  • German: abnormal — not conforming to rule or system
  • Indonesian: abnormal — not conforming to rule or system
  • Irish: mínormálta — not conforming to rule or system
  • Irish: neamhghnách — not conforming to rule or system
  • Italian: anormale — not conforming to rule or system
  • Italian: anomalo — not conforming to rule or system
  • Italian: abnorme — not conforming to rule or system
  • Japanese: 不自然 (fushizen) — not conforming to rule or system
  • Japanese: 異常 (ijō) — not conforming to rule or system
  • Kazakh: қалыптан тыс (qalyptan tys) — not conforming to rule or system
  • Kazakh: қалыпсыз (qalypsyz) — not conforming to rule or system
  • Kazakh: қалыпты емес (qalypty emes) — not conforming to rule or system
  • Latin: abnormis — not conforming to rule or system
  • Malay: abnormal — not conforming to rule or system
  • Middle English: unkynde — not conforming to rule or system
  • Norwegian Bokmål: abnormal — not conforming to rule or system
  • Norwegian Bokmål: anormal — not conforming to rule or system
  • Norwegian Bokmål: unormal — not conforming to rule or system
  • Norwegian Bokmål: uvanlig — not conforming to rule or system
  • Norwegian Bokmål: usedvanlig — not conforming to rule or system
  • Norwegian Bokmål: ualminnelig — not conforming to rule or system
  • Norwegian Bokmål: overordentlig — not conforming to rule or system
  • Persian: غیر عادی (ġeyre 'âddi) — not conforming to rule or system
  • Persian: ناهنجار (nâhanjâr) — not conforming to rule or system
  • Polish: anormalny — not conforming to rule or system
  • Polish: nienormalny — not conforming to rule or system
  • Portuguese: anormal — not conforming to rule or system
  • Romanian: anormal — not conforming to rule or system
  • Romanian: nenormal — not conforming to rule or system
  • Russian: ненорма́льный (nenormálʹnyj) — not conforming to rule or system
  • Serbo-Croatian: nepravilan — not conforming to rule or system
  • Serbo-Croatian: а̏бнорма̄лан — not conforming to rule or system
  • Serbo-Croatian: ȁbnormālan — not conforming to rule or system
  • Spanish: anormal — not conforming to rule or system
  • Swedish: onormal — not conforming to rule or system
  • Asturian: anormal — of or pertaining to behaviour that deviates from norms
  • Bulgarian: ненормален (nenormalen) — of or pertaining to behaviour that deviates from norms
  • Catalan: anormal — of or pertaining to behaviour that deviates from norms
  • Czech: abnormální — of or pertaining to behaviour that deviates from norms
  • Danish: unormal — of or pertaining to behaviour that deviates from norms
  • Danish: anormal — of or pertaining to behaviour that deviates from norms
  • Danish: abnorm — of or pertaining to behaviour that deviates from norms
  • Dutch: abnormaal — of or pertaining to behaviour that deviates from norms
  • Dutch: afwijkend — of or pertaining to behaviour that deviates from norms
  • Estonian: ebanormaalne — of or pertaining to behaviour that deviates from norms
  • Finnish: epänormaali — of or pertaining to behaviour that deviates from norms
  • Finnish: poikkeava — of or pertaining to behaviour that deviates from norms
  • French: anormal — of or pertaining to behaviour that deviates from norms
  • French: anormale — of or pertaining to behaviour that deviates from norms
  • Galician: anormal — of or pertaining to behaviour that deviates from norms
  • German: anormal — of or pertaining to behaviour that deviates from norms
  • German: abnormal — of or pertaining to behaviour that deviates from norms
  • Hungarian: rendellenes — of or pertaining to behaviour that deviates from norms
  • Indonesian: abnormal — of or pertaining to behaviour that deviates from norms
  • Irish: mínormálta — of or pertaining to behaviour that deviates from norms
  • Italian: anormale — of or pertaining to behaviour that deviates from norms
  • Italian: anomalo — of or pertaining to behaviour that deviates from norms
  • Japanese: 異常 (ijō) — of or pertaining to behaviour that deviates from norms
  • Khiamniungan Naga: ūkhīeh — of or pertaining to behaviour that deviates from norms
  • Norwegian Bokmål: abnormal — of or pertaining to behaviour that deviates from norms
  • Norwegian Bokmål: anormal — of or pertaining to behaviour that deviates from norms
  • Norwegian Bokmål: unormal — of or pertaining to behaviour that deviates from norms
  • Norwegian Bokmål: uvanlig — of or pertaining to behaviour that deviates from norms
  • Norwegian Bokmål: usedvanlig — of or pertaining to behaviour that deviates from norms
  • Norwegian Bokmål: ualminnelig — of or pertaining to behaviour that deviates from norms
  • Norwegian Bokmål: overordentlig — of or pertaining to behaviour that deviates from norms
  • Persian: آنرمال (ânormâl) — of or pertaining to behaviour that deviates from norms
  • Polish: anormalny — of or pertaining to behaviour that deviates from norms
  • Polish: nienormalny — of or pertaining to behaviour that deviates from norms
  • Portuguese: anormal — of or pertaining to behaviour that deviates from norms
  • Romanian: anormal — of or pertaining to behaviour that deviates from norms
  • Romanian: nenormal — of or pertaining to behaviour that deviates from norms
  • Serbo-Croatian: nenormalan — of or pertaining to behaviour that deviates from norms
  • Serbo-Croatian: а̏бнорма̄лан — of or pertaining to behaviour that deviates from norms
  • Serbo-Croatian: ȁbnormālan — of or pertaining to behaviour that deviates from norms
  • Spanish: anormal — of or pertaining to behaviour that deviates from norms
  • Swedish: abnorm — of or pertaining to behaviour that deviates from norms
  • Volapük: nenomik — of or pertaining to behaviour that deviates from norms
Real reading context

abnormal in complete knowledge articles