DEVIATE

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does deviate mean? 

• DEVIATE (noun)
  The noun DEVIATE has 1 sense:

1. a person whose behavior deviates from what is acceptable especially in sexual behavior

  Familiarity information: DEVIATE used as a noun is very rare.

• DEVIATE (adjective)
  The adjective DEVIATE has 1 sense:

1. markedly different from an accepted norm

  Familiarity information: DEVIATE used as an adjective is very rare.

• DEVIATE (verb)
  The verb DEVIATE has 3 senses:

1. turn aside; turn away from

2. be at variance with; be out of line with

3. cause to turn away from a previous or expected course

  Familiarity information: DEVIATE used as a verb is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• DEVIATE (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A person whose behavior deviates from what is acceptable especially in sexual behavior

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Synonyms:

degenerate; deviant; deviate; pervert

Hypernyms ("deviate" is a kind of...):

miscreant; reprobate (a person without moral scruples)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "deviate"):

masochist (someone who obtains pleasure from receiving punishment)

nympho; nymphomaniac (a woman with abnormal sexual desires)

child molester; paederast; pederast (a man who has sex (usually sodomy) with a boy as the passive partner)

paedophile; pedophile (an adult who is sexually attracted to children)

sadist (someone who obtains pleasure from inflicting pain on others)

sadomasochist (someone who enjoys both sadism and masochism)

lech; lecher; letch; satyr (man with strong sexual desires)

bugger; sod; sodomist; sodomite (someone who engages in anal copulation (especially a male who engages in anal copulation with another male))

fetishist (one who engages in fetishism (especially of a sexual nature))

Derivation:

deviate (be at variance with; be out of line with)

• DEVIATE (adjective)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Markedly different from an accepted norm

Synonyms:

aberrant; deviant; deviate

Context example:

deviant ideas

Similar:

abnormal; unnatural (not normal; not typical or usual or regular or conforming to a norm)

Derivation:

deviance (deviate behavior)

deviance (a state or condition markedly different from the norm)

deviate (be at variance with; be out of line with)

• DEVIATE (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they deviate    ... he / she / it deviates   
Past simple: deviated   
Past participle: deviated   
-ing form: deviating   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Turn aside; turn away from

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Synonyms:

deviate; divert

Hypernyms (to "deviate" is one way to...):

turn (change orientation or direction, also in the abstract sense)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "deviate"):

yaw (deviate erratically from a set course)

depart; digress; sidetrack; straggle (wander from a direct or straight course)

detour (travel via a detour)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s
Somebody ----s

Derivation:

deviation (a turning aside (of your course or attention or concern))

Sense 2

Meaning:

Be at variance with; be out of line with

Classified under:

Verbs of being, having, spatial relations

Synonyms:

depart; deviate; diverge; vary

Hypernyms (to "deviate" is one way to...):

differ (be different)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "deviate"):

aberrate (diverge or deviate from the straight path; produce aberration)

aberrate (diverge from the expected)

belie; contradict; negate (be in contradiction with)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s
Something is ----ing PP

Antonym:

conform (be similar, be in line with)

Derivation:

deviant (a person whose behavior deviates from what is acceptable especially in sexual behavior)

deviant (markedly different from an accepted norm)

deviate (a person whose behavior deviates from what is acceptable especially in sexual behavior)

deviate (markedly different from an accepted norm)

deviation (deviate behavior)

deviation (the error of a compass due to local magnetic disturbances)

deviation (the difference between an observed value and the expected value of a variable or function)

deviation (a variation that deviates from the standard or norm)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Cause to turn away from a previous or expected course

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Context example:

The river was deviated to prevent flooding

Hypernyms (to "deviate" is one way to...):

divert (send on a course or in a direction different from the planned or intended one)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "deviate"):

perturb (cause a celestial body to deviate from a theoretically regular orbital motion, especially as a result of interposed or extraordinary gravitational pull)

perturb (disturb or interfere with the usual path of an electron or atom)

shunt (provide with or divert by means of an electrical shunt)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

Derivation:

deviation (a turning aside (of your course or attention or concern))

 Context examples 

Chromosomal constitution of cells which deviate from the normal by the addition or subtraction of chromosomes or chromosome pairs.

(Numerical Chromosomal Abnormality, NIH CRISP Thesaurus)

The axis may deviate from normal position due to structural problems (valve conditions), pulmonary or systemic hypertension and/or heart attacks.

(Normal Axis Deviation by ECG Finding, NCI Thesaurus)

It is caused by infections, allergies, and the presence of sinus polyps or deviated septum.

(Chronic Sinusitis, NCI Thesaurus)

For example, medial rectus muscle weakness may produce this condition as the affected eye will deviate laterally upon attempted forward gaze.

(Divergent Strabismus, NLM, Medical Subject Headings)

The consensus sequence for this high-affinity androgen receptor-binding is the palindromic sequence GGT/AACAnnnTGTTCT, though could deviate considerably in natural promoter sequences.

(Androgen Response Element, NCI Thesaurus)

Deviating in any way from the state, position, structure, condition, behavior, or rule which is considered a norm.

(Abnormal, NCI Thesaurus)

I now related my history briefly but with firmness and precision, marking the dates with accuracy and never deviating into invective or exclamation.

(Frankenstein, by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley)

A diverse category of psychiatric disorders characterized by behavior that deviates markedly from the expectations of the individual's culture; this pattern of deviation is pervasive and inflexible and is stable over time.

(Personality Disorder, NCI Thesaurus)

It will be a pleasure if we can so far deviate from our rules as to give the required information to his lordship.

(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)

What’s more, the perceived greenish hue of faces under LPS light deviates from what might be expected based on the spectrum of the LPS light itself, which gives a yellowish appearance.

(Rosy health and sickly green: color associations play robust role in reading faces, National Institutes of Health)