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deviation

deviation

25 5.3
A difference from what is usual or expected
  • noun
  • /ˌdiːviˈeɪʃən/
translation icon : desviación
  • The teacher explained that any deviation from the established rules would lead to disciplinary action.
  • standard deviation
  • slight deviation
  • percentage deviation

That is the definition of stress, a deviation from homeostasis.

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Examples

  • Ebbie assured me that the deviation was too slight to have any immediate impact.

    Fiction book (1998)
  • It says that this situation between the two of you is a serious deviation from the plan.

  • Sometimes, if not always, it's a massive deviation from where we started.

  • So this is a real deviation from kind of what people expected.

  • And this is a deviation from that average.

  • In any military exercise, you have to expect a certain measure of deviation.

  • But the sort of tolerance for deviation is relatively low.

  • But it's a deviation from what's expected.

  • Any deviation from the invasion plan will result in disciplinary review.

  • The authors observed numerous quality issues based on deviation from established in-house cataloging standards.

    Academic text (2013)

Synonyms

difference
vsdeviation
1.0

A way of showing how much two or more things are not the same

focuses on leaving what is usual or accepted, not just comparison amounts
variation
vsdeviation
113 3.0

A change in amount or condition from what is normal

is a more specific idea about leaving an expected standard rather than gradual change
departure
vsdeviation
52 3.7

A change from what is usual, often in style

is about leaving a specific rule or standard rather than just any change
variance
vsdeviation
18 5.5

A difference from what is usual or expected

is specifically about leaving expected standards rather than general change or fluctuation
diversion
vsdeviation
13 5.2

A change that moves attention or action away from the main plan

is any change from the expected course, not only active turning aside
divergence
vsdeviation
9 7.1

A difference from a standard or expected result

is more general, applying to rules, courses, or accepted practices not only numbers
digression
vsdeviation
6 7.0

A short break from the main subject when talking or writing

is broader, covering any change from norms, not only brief topic shifts
deviance
vsdeviation
4 7.9

Behavior that most people in a group do not accept

is broader, applying to any change from standards, not only social behavior
deflection
vsdeviation
4 6.0

How much an object bends or moves away from a straight line

is broader, meaning any change from expectations, not only physical turning
disconformity
vsdeviation
9.0

Not following usual rules or accepted practices

is broader, meaning any change from usual or expected, not only rule-breaking
aberrancy
vsdeviation
9.9

A state of being very different from what is normal

is used for any change from norms, not only clearly extreme cases
divagation
vsdeviation
  • Archaic
9.9

A short move away from the main topic in speech or writing

is any change from what is expected, not specifically wandering away

Antonyms

24 4.8

A state of behaving and thinking like most people or like rules say

13 3.5

A time when things are usual and happen as expected

Compounds

standard deviation
  • Specialized
8 4.7

A number that shows how much values in a set vary from the average

absolute deviation
  • Specialized
7.2

A measure of how far a data value is from the average or middle value

8.1

A number that shows the typical distance of numbers in a set from their middle value

average deviation
  • Specialized
6.0

A number that shows how far numbers usually are from the middle value

mean deviation
  • Specialized
7.1

A measure showing how much numbers differ from their average

The average distance of each number from the group's average

quartile deviation
  • Specialized
8.1

Half the distance between the top and bottom values of the middle half of a set of numbers

9.5

A measure of how far actual values usually are from predicted values

6.8

A number that shows how spread out values in a sample are

How Different

aberration
37 7.7
deviation
25 5.3
variation
113 3.0
conformity
24 4.8

Surface Forms

deviation singular
deviations plural

Morphology

deviation = deviate (transparent) = deviate + ion

A regular nominalization from 'deviate' producing the meaning 'a departure from a standard', which is directly inferable from the base.

Etymology

Deviation comes from the Latin parts de- 'away' and via 'way'. So a deviation is when something moves 'away from the usual way' or from a rule, which is why we use it for a difference from what is expected.