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Glite Dictionary
↩️ To go off course 🚷 An outsider 🌀 Unusual
deviate

deviate

1 9.5
A person who acts very differently from social rules, often used as an insult
  • noun
  • /ˈdiːviˌeɪt/
  • Offensive
translation icon : pervertido
  • "I was considered one of the deviates," he says.

Examples

  • Because you couldn't get hired on a department if you were what they called then a deviate.

    Fiction book (1996)

  • The activists were often labeled as deviates for challenging traditional beliefs about gender roles.

  • " She also said the theater attracts "immoral persons," including "criminal elements, undesirables, deviates, and dropouts."

    Blog text (8)

  • In the documentary, they interviewed several deviates who shared their experiences of living outside societal norms.

  • He was considered a deviate in his community because of his unconventional lifestyle choices.

Synonyms

pervert
vsdeviate
  • Offensive
143 8.4

A person who behaves in a sexual way that most people find wrong

is often considered offensive or outdated rather than a moral accusation
perv
vsdeviate
  • Offensive
41 9.9

A person who behaves in a sexual way that makes others uncomfortable

is a broader offensive outdated label for marked departure from norms
deviant
vsdeviate
  • Offensive
23 8.5

A person whose behavior is very different from what most people accept, often about sex

is now viewed as offensive or outdated rather than neutral
degenerate
vsdeviate
  • Offensive
15 8.3

A person seen as morally corrupt because of bad behaviour

is about marked departure from norms without stressing long moral decline
perve
vsdeviate
  • Offensive
1 9.9

A person who looks at others in a sexual way and makes them uncomfortable

is more offensive and outdated in formal use than the informal term
aberrant
vsdeviate
1 9.1

A person who behaves very differently from what others expect

is used for departures from society-wide norms rather than only within a group
aberrator
vsdeviate
9.9

A person who disagrees with common ideas or rules

is an offensive outdated label for marked social norm departures not just beliefs

Antonyms

normal
35 1.0

The usual or expected state

conformist
2 5.7

A person who follows rules and usual ways instead of trying new ideas

How Deviant

deviate
  • Offensive
1 9.5
eccentric
1 7.0
conformist
2 5.7

Surface Forms

deviate singular
deviates plural

Etymology

Deviate as a noun comes from the parts de- 'away' and via 'way', like someone who has moved off the main road of life; this gives the image of a person who does not follow usual social 'ways', but this use is now often seen as offensive or old-fashioned.