anomaly

noun

ə-ˈnä-mə-lē How to pronounce anomaly (audio)
Definition of anomalynext
1
as in exception
something that is different from what is ordinary or expected her C grade is an anomaly, as she's never made anything except A's and B's before

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in abnormality
a person, thing, or event that is far from normal snow in July is an anomaly in most of the northern hemisphere

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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 anomaly Every interaction your operations have with an AI system—every process anomaly detected, every transaction flagged, every demand signal interpreted—is a data point that could be making your AI sharper. — Sanjay Dhawan, Forbes.com, 20 Aug. 2026 The platform manages client dashboards, drafts performance reports, monitors data quality, flags anomalies, supports internal operations, and synthesizes context from meetings so leaders are not forced to sit in every room to stay informed. — Ethan M. Stone, USA Today, 18 Aug. 2026 In the weeks after the anomaly, Blue Origin outlined plans to restore that pad for New Glenn operations as soon as possible. — Eric Berger, ArsTechnica, 14 Aug. 2026 The recent confluence of record visitor volume, fluctuating boundaries, climate anomalies and staffing shortages is fundamentally increasing the risks of owning, acquiring or starting a business in a gateway economy. — Nancy Forster-Holt, The Conversation, 14 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for anomaly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for anomaly
  1. exception
  2. abnormality
  3. rarity
  4. mutation
  5. monster
  6. freak
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
  • 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
  • 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
Noun
  • In people with the natural mutation, every cell in the body has the deactivated ANGPTL3 gene.
    — Sandee LaMotte, CNN Money, 28 Aug. 2026
  • High doses of radiation damage DNA and can cause mutations that lead to cancer.
    — Geoff Brumfiel, NPR, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of mutation
Noun
  • Hugh Jackman plays the titular monster hunter, who is sent to destroy Dracula.
    — Kara Nesvig, Parents, 29 Aug. 2026
  • There will be no B-movie monsters wearing terrible prosthetics, no scripts full of non sequiturs, no glitchy graphics.
    — Becca Rothfeld, New Yorker, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of monster
Noun
  • Hannah says the family does not suspect that Jenny died by suicide and believes what happened was likely either foul play or a freak accident.
    — David Chiu, PEOPLE, 26 Aug. 2026
  • Adapt to survive Along with a warming trend pushing harvesting seasons earlier, European wine growers are up against drought, freak weather events such as spring hailstorms and frost which wiped out many buds, and wildfires.
    — Jenni Reid, CNBC, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of freak

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anomalousness
anomaly
anon
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Cite this Entry

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

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Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about anomaly

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