deviant
gb/dˈiviənt/ us/dˈiviənt/
C1
English
~ 6300
Senses
0 senses
adjective
formal
C1
property
1
different from accepted social standards
Very different from what most people think is normal or acceptable, especially in how someone behaves or in sexual matters.
Usage pattern:
[something] is deviant / deviant [behavior/practices]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes use "deviant" to mean simply "different" or "creative". In most contexts, "deviant" is clearly negative and suggests behavior that society sees as wrong or unacceptable, often in a moral or sexual way. For a neutral meaning of "different", use words like "unusual", "different", or "unique" instead.
Synonyms
abnormal (Neutral to slightly negative; not as strongly moral or social as "deviant".)
|
atypical (Describes something unusual but not necessarily wrong or socially unacceptable.)
|
perverted (Much stronger and more emotional, usually about sexual behavior that is seen as very wrong.)
Antonyms
normal (Describes behavior that fits common patterns or expectations in society.)
|
conventional (Stresses following common social rules and traditions rather than breaking them.)
Collocations
deviant behavior
|deviant sexual practices
|deviant lifestyle
|deviant subculture
|deviant values
|deviant peers
Themes
society
|psychology
|crime
|core_vocabulary
|relationships
|law
Examples
- The study focused on deviant behavior among teenagers in urban areas.
- Some groups argue that what counts as deviant sexual conduct changes over time.
- The film explores how a deviant lifestyle can develop when young people feel excluded.
- In many cultures, refusing to marry can still be viewed as deviant for women.
- Teachers were trained to identify deviant patterns in students' online activity that might signal risk.
Learner examples
- The police watch for deviant behavior in the city center at night.
- In that small town, living alone at thirty was seen as deviant.
- The book explains why some young people start to show deviant behavior.
- Different cultures do not always agree on what is deviant.
- Her ideas were called deviant because they were very different from tradition.
Noun
formal
C1
entity
2
person who breaks social norms
A person who acts in a way that most people think is very wrong or not normal, often in a criminal or sexual way.
Usage pattern:
[someone] is a deviant
Common mistake:
Learners may confuse "a deviant" (a person) with "a deviation" (a difference from a norm). Also, calling someone "a deviant" is very strong and often offensive in everyday conversation; in neutral speech, it is better to say "someone who breaks social norms" or describe the behavior instead.
Synonyms
outsider (Less negative; focuses on not fitting into a group, not necessarily doing something wrong.)
|
pervert (Very strong and insulting; usually refers specifically to sexual deviance.)
Antonyms
conformist (Describes a person who follows social rules and norms instead of breaking them.)
|
law-abiding citizen (Highlights obeying the law, the opposite of someone seen as criminally deviant.)
Collocations
sexual deviant
|social deviant
|label [someone] a deviant
|violent deviant
|dangerous deviant
|identify deviants
Themes
society
|crime
|psychology
|relationships
|law
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- The media portrayed him as a dangerous deviant who could not be trusted.
- Early criminology often tried to identify physical traits that marked a person as a deviant.
- She argued that society creates deviants by pushing some people to the margins.
- Neighbors described the suspect as a quiet man, not a deviant or a troublemaker.
- The documentary challenges the idea that people labeled as deviants are always harmful.
Learner examples
- The court called him a deviant because of his crimes.
- Some people see artists as deviants, but others see them as free thinkers.
- In that strict community, anyone different could be called a deviant.
- The book tells the life story of a social deviant.
- She does not want her son to be seen as a deviant at school.
adjective
technical
C2
property
3
statistically different from the norm
In statistics, different in a clear way from what the numbers normally show or from the average result.
Usage pattern:
[data point] is deviant / deviant [case/value]
Common mistake:
Learners may think this technical sense always has a strong moral or social meaning, like the general sense of "deviant". In statistics, it is more neutral and mainly describes numbers or cases that do not fit a usual pattern.
Synonyms
anomalous (Technical; suggests something that does not fit the usual pattern or model.)
|
outlying (Emphasizes being far from the central or average values.)
Antonyms
typical (Describes a case that matches the common or expected pattern.)
|
average (Highlights closeness to the mean or central tendency.)
Collocations
deviant case
|deviant value
|deviant data point
|deviant observation
|deviant score
Themes
science
|mathematics
|statistics
|education
Examples
- Researchers dropped several highly deviant cases from the analysis.
- One deviant data point can strongly affect the correlation in a small sample.
- The model failed to predict deviant values at the extreme end of the scale.
- These deviant observations suggest that a different process may be at work.
- Statisticians must decide whether a deviant score is an error or a meaningful result.
Learner examples
- The scientist removed deviant scores from the test results.
- They studied the deviant cases to understand the problem better.
- One deviant value changed the average by a lot.
- These deviant data points do not follow the line on the graph.
- The report explains why the numbers are deviant in that year.
Grammar
Expressions
deviant behavior
1/dˈiviənt bɪhˈeɪvjɚ/
fixed phrase
formal
behavior that breaks social rules
Behavior that is very different from what most people think is normal or right, often in a moral, criminal, or sexual way.
Examples
- The report links deviant behavior in youth to family conflict and poverty.
- Teachers are trained to recognize signs of deviant behavior in the classroom.
- Sociologists disagree about what should count as deviant behavior in modern societies.
deviant subculture
4/dˈiviənt sˈʌbkˌʌlt͡ʃɚ/
fixed phrase
formal
group that rejects social norms
A small group in a society whose shared ideas and behavior go against the main social rules.
Examples
- The study examined how a deviant subculture developed among street gangs.
- Online forums can help a deviant subculture grow and connect across countries.
- Some researchers argue that what is called a deviant subculture is often just a youth style.
sexual deviant
3/sˈɛkʃuəl dˈiviənt/
fixed phrase
formal
person with socially rejected sexual behavior
A person whose sexual behavior is seen by most people as very wrong or not normal.
Examples
- The headline described the suspect as a sexual deviant wanted in three states.
- Labeling someone a sexual deviant can cause lifelong social harm.
- Older medical texts sometimes used the term "sexual deviant" in a clinical way.
social deviant
2/sˈoʊʃəl dˈiviənt/
fixed phrase
formal
person who breaks social norms
A person who often acts in ways that do not follow important social rules or customs.
Examples
- In that conservative town, unmarried mothers were treated as social deviants.
- The author argues that social deviants can sometimes drive positive change.
- Schools tend to isolate students they see as social deviants.