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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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 anomaly The assessment compared radar imagery collected on June 24 and June 25 with reference images captured over the previous year to detect structural anomalies consistent with building damage or collapse. — Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 29 June 2026 That anomaly has complicated the Blue Moon timeline, though Blue Origin CEO Dave Limp has voiced confidence that New Glenn will launch again this year. — Josh Dinner, Space.com, 30 June 2026 Space Launch Delta 45 stated that anomaly would not affect other launches, and the SpaceX launch was the first of two planned on the day from Canaveral with a ULA Atlas V launch slated for later on the day. — Richard Tribou, The Orlando Sentinel, 29 June 2026 The investigations into most of the anomalies and observations have been closed, according to a briefing by NASA’s Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel on June 22. — Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 1 July 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
  • The statute would ban covered officers from wearing masks or shielding their identities while on duty and interacting with the public, with exceptions including medical masks, religious coverings, certain tactical equipment and hazardous conditions.
    — Landon Mion, FOXNews.com, 3 July 2026
  • While the majority of states have lieutenant governors, there are exceptions.
    — Peter Lucas, Boston Herald, 2 July 2026
Definition of exception
Noun
  • Interestingly, the development could lead to precision for delicate industrial manufacturing, gives advanced prosthetics a richer sense of touch, and allow surgical systems to instantly detect fine tissue abnormalities through visual color cues.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 3 July 2026
  • Kesseli and the team investigated three possible reasons for this abnormality.
    — Robert Lea, Space.com, 1 July 2026
Definition of abnormality
Noun
  • Alex Bell, chairman emeritus of Sotheby’s UK and Old Masters worldwide, said the work succeeded because it combined scale, rarity, impeccable provenance, and immediate visual impact.
    — Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 1 July 2026
  • Amsterdam was largely laid out in the 17th century, making new land available for gardens a rarity.
    — Zoë Dare Hall, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026
Definition of rarity
Noun
  • The virus spends approximately ten months of every year locked inside dormant mosquito eggs that overwinter beneath leaf litter and snow, with little to no viral replication, so few new mutations enter the population.
    — John Drake, Forbes.com, 4 July 2026
  • That’s because Adamala’s team had to create genetic variation synthetically, instead of allowing for random mutations in DNA.
    — Yasemin Saplakoglu, Quanta Magazine, 1 July 2026
Definition of mutation
Noun
  • Go on, put the 131-cube (2,147 cc) monster engine into that one.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 6 July 2026
  • There’s no way the doll monsters at the pond were the whole point of the Lake of Tears, right?
    — Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 5 July 2026
Definition of monster
Noun
  • They can also be used in the event of a freak storm that might drop hail or snow.
    — Jack Dura, Los Angeles Times, 2 July 2026
  • The concept hit critical mass in the fitness-freak nineteen-eighties, but by the late two-thousands chains such as Pinkberry and Red Mango had inspired a craze for giant tubs of the stuff buried under sugary mountains of candy toppings.
    — Helen Rosner, New Yorker, 28 June 2026
Definition of freak

Browse Nearby Words

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 7 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on anomaly

Nglish: Translation of anomaly for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about anomaly

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