aberration

noun

ˌa-bə-ˈrā-shən How to pronounce aberration (audio)
Definition of aberrationnext
1
as in dementia
a serious mental disorder that prevents one from living a safe and normal life Joan of Arc was certain the voices she had been hearing were not a manifestation of some sort of aberration

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in anomaly
something that is different from what is ordinary or expected there are some slight aberrations in the type due to the nature of old printing presses

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of aberration There’s not enough space in one letter to describe the aberrations of this president. — Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 7 Aug. 2026 SteamDB’s data since BeamNG’s release doesn’t indicate that this is attention is an aberration, either. — Adam Ismail, The Drive, 6 Aug. 2026 This lens is made up of 20 elements and two mirrors plus a large-diameter aspherical lens that nips distortion and aberration in the bud. — New Atlas, 6 Aug. 2026 The 2008 deadline acquisition of CC Sabathia and 2018 offseason deal for Christian Yelich were mere aberrations in the status quo. — Johnny Flores Jr, New York Times, 4 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for aberration
Recent Examples of Synonyms for aberration
  1. dementia
  2. anomaly
  3. insanity
  4. exception
  5. hysteria
  6. abnormality
  7. schizophrenia
  8. rarity
Noun
  • Sleep, for instance, isn’t downtime but active maintenance, when the brain flushes out cellular waste in ways that may help stave off dementia.
    — Andrea Gawrylewski, Scientific American, 1 Sep. 2026
  • Developed by researchers in the US, the remarkable new treatment could one day be used to treat patients in advanced stages of dementia by restoring the brain’s ability to recover from ongoing neurodegeneration.
    — Mike McRae August 30, New Atlas, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of dementia
Noun
  • The sound of the band is an anomaly, even within the obscure parameters of underground Latin.
    — Ernesto Lechner, Los Angeles Times, 26 Aug. 2026
  • The oversize dive and pilot’s watches of the 1990s and early 2000s were an anomaly, and recent years have seen a return to more sensible proportions.
    — Oren Hartov, Robb Report, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of anomaly
Noun
  • Massachusetts law states that a person committed after a successful insanity defense can be recommitted over and over again, each time for a one-year period.
    — Aysha Bagchi, USA Today, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Doing the same thing over again and expecting a different result is what some people call insanity.
    — Ryan Canfield OutKick, FOXNews.com, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of insanity
Noun
  • With rare exceptions, EV sound is little more than an affectation.
    — Byron Hurd, The Drive, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Washington had carved out exceptions for itself and some European countries to buy Russian oil, and the Biden administration had even encouraged India to buy Russian oil under a price cap as part of a plan to stabilize the global oil market.
    — C. Raja Mohan, Foreign Affairs, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of exception
Noun
  • The roughly 25-acre farm is also home to a reproduction of the Salem Village Meeting House, the site of many early hearings about the Salem witchcraft hysteria.
    — Nicholas DeRenzo, Travel + Leisure, 25 Aug. 2026
  • Russia has rejected all accusations of espionage, portraying them as part of anti-Russian hysteria.
    — Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of hysteria
Noun
  • Medical experts at the time suspected her death was caused by a brain abnormality that ruptured because of the intensity of the ride.
    — Blake Ellis, CNN Money, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Physicians needed to decide what to do if a pregnant woman came to the ER suffering from organ failure, or carrying a fetus with a fatal abnormality.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of abnormality
Noun
  • AntiMood stabilizers support people who have mood swings because of conditions such as bipolar disorder, personality disorder and schizophrenia.
    — Jen Christensen, CNN Money, 29 Aug. 2026
  • He’d been diagnosed with schizophrenia, his autopsy report said.
    — Carol Marbin Miller, Miami Herald, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of schizophrenia
Noun
  • The rarity of the condition means diagnosis can be delayed, increasing the chances of severe symptoms.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Its native structure, the twenty-two-episode season, has become a rarity in the industry, as has its default lightness.
    — Inkoo Kang, New Yorker, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of rarity

Browse Nearby Words

aberrated
aberration
aberrational
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Aberration.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/aberration. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on aberration

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about aberration

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of dissonant

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

A List of Most Commonly Confused Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
skateboard-dog-hat
Wordmaxxing Slang Quiz Give your vocabulary a glow up by getting sendy w...
See All