deviant

deviant — adjective

1. describing actions or ways of behaving that stand far outside the moral or socia

1.adjectiveB2
Definition

describing actions or ways of behaving that stand far outside the moral or social standards most people in a community accept.

Example

The study examined how certain groups are labelled deviant by those in power.

passive: labelled + deviant + by + agent

Élise's therapist said teenage rebellion is rarely deviant — just a normal part of growing up.

collocation: deviant behaviour with contrast structure (rarely…; it is…)

Common collocations
  • deviant behaviour
  • deviant conduct
  • deviant patterns
  • deviant subculture
  • labelled deviant
  • considered deviant
Synonyms
  • abnormal

    more neutral, often used in medical/statistical contexts without the same moral weight

  • unconventional

    less negative — implies creative or voluntary non-conformity rather than unacceptable behaviour

  • nonconformist

    focuses on refusing to follow society's rules rather than on being socially unacceptable

Antonyms
  • normal

    the opposite in the sense of conforming to what most people accept

  • conventional

    following accepted customs and standards

Grammar Patterns

deviant + noun (behaviour / conduct / pattern)

label / consider + object + (as) deviant

Usage Note

Very common in sociology, criminology, and psychology. The word carries a strong judgement — it labels something as outside what a group accepts. Less formal alternatives: odd, unusual, out of line.

Common Mistakes

His shirt colour was deviant.
His shirt colour was unusual.
deviant implies violation of social or moral norms, not mere difference in taste.
She is deviant from her normal routine.
She deviated from her normal routine.
deviant is an adjective, not a verb form; use deviate as a verb.

deviant — noun

Word family

  • deviate
    verbB2
  • deviation
    nounB2
  • deviantly
    adverbC1
  • deviance
    nounC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

All three describe things that differ from a norm, but they carry very different tones. Abnormal is the most neutral — it can describe a test result or a statistical outlier without moral judgement. Unconventional is mildly positive or neutral, focusing on creative or chosen difference (unconventional art, unconventional lifestyle). Nonconformist implies an active refusal to follow society's rules, often with a sense of principle (nonconformist thinkers, nonconformist religious groups). Deviant, by contrast, carries a strong negative social verdict — it labels the behaviour as outside what a community tolerates. To choose: use deviant only when you mean to invoke social disapproval; otherwise pick abnormal for neutral difference or unconventional for non-judgemental variety.

abnormal ↗unconventional ↗nonconformist

Common collocations

Nouns

  • deviant behaviour
  • deviant conduct
  • deviant subculture
  • deviant person
  • sexual deviant

Adverbs

  • socially deviant
  • sexually deviant
  • potentially deviant

Phrases

  • labelled deviant
  • considered deviant
  • branded a deviant
  • viewed as deviant

Prepositions

  • deviant in (nature / conduct)

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

From Latin deviare 'to turn aside, stray from the road,' from de- 'off, away' + via 'way, road.' The adjective entered English in the late 1800s; the noun followed in the early 1900s. The strong association with sexual and criminal behaviour developed mainly in 20th-century sociology.