aberration
noun
ab·er·ra·tion
ˌa-bə-ˈrā-shən 
1
b
: something or someone regarded as atypical and therefore able to be ignored or discounted
Harkins was to be regarded as an aberration among American military leaders …—
Neil Sheehan
Neil SheehanThe U.S. establishment treated this grassroots movement almost as an aberration, virtually ignoring it.—Helen Caldicott
Helen CaldicottAs for Putin's desire to lay waste to Chechnya, Western leaders largely dismiss it as an aberration …—The New Republic
The New Republic2
: failure of a mirror, refracting surface, or lens to produce exact point-to-point correspondence between an object and its image
chromatic aberration
… the telescope suffers from a serious focusing problem, a condition known as spherical aberration, which causes the point-like images of stars to be surrounded by fuzzy haze.—M. Mitchell Waldrop
M. Mitchell Waldrop3
: unsoundness or disorder of the mind
4
: a small periodic change of apparent position in celestial bodies due to the combined effect of the motion of light and the motion of the observer
5
: an aberrant individual
aberrational
adjective
aberrational behavior
They react, often in anger, to particular decisions but tend to regard them as aberrational rather than systemic failures.
—Robert H. Bork
Robert H. Bork
Examples of aberration in a Sentence
Recently geneticists have taken a closer look at a genetic aberration previously considered rare … . The genes may be perfectly normal, yet there is a shortage or surplus of DNA sequences that may play a role in diseases that defy straightforward genetic patterns …
—Melinda Wenner, Scientific American, June 2009
He did hit five homers for Texas in 1987, but that was an aberration. In no other major league season has he hit more than three, and last season he actually came up with a goose egg.
—E. M. Swift, Sports Illustrated, 5 Apr. 1989
Gilliard's studies of numerous bird of paradise species brought them from the realm of exotic aberrations to the forefront of sociobiology.
—Jared M. Diamond, Nature, 24-30 Sept. 1981
For her, such a low grade on an exam was an aberration.
a study of sexual aberration
Melinda Wenner, Scientific American, June 2009
He did hit five homers for Texas in 1987, but that was an aberration. In no other major league season has he hit more than three, and last season he actually came up with a goose egg.
—E. M. Swift, Sports Illustrated, 5 Apr. 1989
Gilliard's studies of numerous bird of paradise species brought them from the realm of exotic aberrations to the forefront of sociobiology.
—Jared M. Diamond, Nature, 24-30 Sept. 1981
For her, such a low grade on an exam was an aberration.
a study of sexual aberration
Recent Examples on the Web
Nina’s challenge is twofold: to get Jim to trust her enough to provide usable intel on Ezra, and to gain the respect of her FBI colleagues, most of whom treat her like an aberration or an inconvenience.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 15 May 2025
The first two games of their second-round series with the defending champs have proved to be an aberration.
—Jonas Siegel, New York Times, 15 May 2025
While the attacks may not be an aberration in the long history of Israel’s military action in Lebanon, the latest episodes were notable given the context: Israel and Hezbollah have been nominally locked in a truce for five months.
—Mireille Rebeiz, The Conversation, 15 May 2025
Barring November’s aberration in Bruges — where Emery immediately made his anger known to players — Villa followed the theme of consistency which has led them to this point and, conceivably, the biggest night of their season.
—Jacob Tanswell, The Athletic, 20 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for aberration
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Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 15 May 2025
The first two games of their second-round series with the defending champs have proved to be an aberration.
—Jonas Siegel, New York Times, 15 May 2025
While the attacks may not be an aberration in the long history of Israel’s military action in Lebanon, the latest episodes were notable given the context: Israel and Hezbollah have been nominally locked in a truce for five months.
—Mireille Rebeiz, The Conversation, 15 May 2025
Barring November’s aberration in Bruges — where Emery immediately made his anger known to players — Villa followed the theme of consistency which has led them to this point and, conceivably, the biggest night of their season.
—Jacob Tanswell, The Athletic, 20 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for aberration
Cite this Entry
“Aberration.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/aberration. Accessed 30 May. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
aberration
noun
ab·er·ra·tion
ˌab-ə-ˈrā-shən
1
: the act of differing especially from a moral standard or normal state
2
: unsoundness or disorder of the mind
3
: a small regularly occurring change of apparent position in heavenly bodies due to the combined effect of the motion of light and the motion of the observer
Medical Definition
aberration
noun
ab·er·ra·tion
ˌab-ə-ˈrā-shən
1
: failure of a mirror, refracting surface, or lens to produce exact point-to-point correspondence between an object and its image
2
: unsoundness or disorder of the mind
3
: an aberrant organ or individual
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