ANOMALOUS Synonyms: 96 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How is the word 'anomalous' distinct from other similar adjectives?

The words irregular and unnatural are common synonyms of anomalous . While all three words mean "not conforming to rule, law, or custom," anomalous implies not conforming to what might be expected because of the class or type to which it belongs or the laws that govern its existence. // her drive made her an anomalous figure in a sleepy organization

Q: Where would 'irregular' be a reasonable alternative to 'anomalous'?

Although the words irregular and anomalous have much in common, irregular implies not conforming to a law or regulation imposed for the sake of uniformity in method, practice, or conduct. // concerned about his irregular behavior

Q: When is it sensible to use 'unnatural' instead of 'anomalous'?

The meanings of unnatural and anomalous largely overlap; however, unnatural suggests what is contrary to nature or to principles or standards felt to be essential to the well-being of civilized society. // prisoners treated with unnatural cruelty

anomalous

adjective

ə-ˈnä-mə-ləs

Definition of anomalous

as in unusual

being out of the ordinary that was an anomalous year for the housing industry, so the number of starts is anything but typical

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in abnormal

departing from some accepted standard of what is normal an anomalous burst of anger from this usually easygoing person

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How is the word anomalous distinct from other similar adjectives?

The words irregular and unnatural are common synonyms of anomalous. While all three words mean "not conforming to rule, law, or custom," anomalous implies not conforming to what might be expected because of the class or type to which it belongs or the laws that govern its existence.

her drive made her an anomalous figure in a sleepy organization

Where would irregular be a reasonable alternative to anomalous?

Although the words irregular and anomalous have much in common, irregular implies not conforming to a law or regulation imposed for the sake of uniformity in method, practice, or conduct.

concerned about his irregular behavior

When is it sensible to use unnatural instead of anomalous?

The meanings of unnatural and anomalous largely overlap; however, unnatural suggests what is contrary to nature or to principles or standards felt to be essential to the well-being of civilized society.

prisoners treated with unnatural cruelty

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 anomalous Astounding and anomalous images flare up on our screens in paradoxical answer to cybernetic metrics of probability. — Jan Tumlir, Artforum, 5 Aug. 2026 There are also weird anomalous results, like the RTX 5050 holding a commanding lead in Doom Dark Ages at Medium 1080p, but the RX 9050 being just as capable at 1440p. — Jon Martindale, PC Magazine, 31 July 2026 An hour before the show, Simonyan, who lives in Siberia, wandered into Cook’s office atop Millennium Gate Museum—the anomalous arch’s name. — Charles Bethea, New Yorker, 20 July 2026 Authorities can reconstruct routes, identify anomalous behavior, and compare activities against permit conditions long after the event itself has occurred. — IEEE Spectrum, 16 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for anomalous

Recent Examples of Synonyms for anomalous

Adjective

While his batting order remains unchanged, the team has made an unusual move, relocating Guerrero's locker to a new spot.

— Peter Chawaga, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026
Land exchanges are common elsewhere in the federal government, but exchanging National Park Service land for private development access is unusual, NOTUS reported, citing a former park service official.

— Annie Palmer, CNBC, 29 Aug. 2026

Definition of unusual

Adjective

Department staff searched for the otter to assess whether the animal was still in the area or displaying any abnormal or concerning behavior, Margiott said.

— Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 3 Sep. 2026
An abnormal increase in a protein called sFlt-1 (soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase 1), which slows down placental growth, Kilpatrick says.

— Megha Satyanarayana, Scientific American, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of abnormal

Adjective

However, the extraordinary part is putting it all together, delivering 100 MW net, fitting the system aboard a movable ship, and doing it for $587 million.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 4 Sep. 2026
In this state, the fluid gains extraordinary heat capacity and flow properties, carrying more thermal energy to the surface with minimal flow resistance.

— Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 4 Sep. 2026

Definition of extraordinary

Adjective

Sharif said Noreen displayed exceptional courage and devotion to duty by risking her life to save the newborn moments before the nursery burned down.

— ABC News, ABC News, 30 Aug. 2026
Founders who recently had one exceptional year sometimes assume that year represents their new baseline, when a buyer will more likely average the last three years, or discount the outlier entirely.

— Lien De Pau, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2026

Definition of exceptional

Adjective

The growing normalization and adoption of open-weight AI models, as enterprises and consumers alike seek to customize models to their unique use cases.

— Zev Fima, CNBC, 2 Sep. 2026
Nike’s athletes’ kits this season were inspired by basketball, presenting a unique sartorial challenge blending the two distinct on-court sports.

— Alexandra Hildreth, Vogue, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of unique

Adjective

On September 1, Claire Stoermer shared a rare childhood photo of her daughter to celebrate the milestone.

— Hannah Malach, InStyle, 2 Sep. 2026
If the event detected by this team was caused by the rare interaction between two WIMPs, this would tell scientists some things about these currently hypothetical particles.

— Robert Lea, Space.com, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of rare

Browse Nearby Words

anomalies

anomalous

anomalously

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Anomalous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/anomalous. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of anomalous

adjective

Synonym Chooser

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

matriculate

Popular in Grammar & Usage

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

A List of Most Commonly Confused Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Popular in Wordplay

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 4

Popular

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Games & Quizzes