Aberration — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

noun /ˌa-bə-ˈrā-shən/ ab·er·ra·tion

Meaning & Definition of Aberration

Aberration (noun)

  1. the fact or an instance of deviating or being aberrant especially from a moral standard or normal state
  2. something or someone regarded as atypical and therefore able to be ignored or discounted
  3. failure of a mirror, refracting surface, or lens to produce exact point-to-point correspondence between an object and its image

Aberration (noun) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. a serious mental disorder that prevents one from living a safe and normal life

    "Joan of Arc was certain the voices she had been hearing were not a manifestation of some sort of aberration"

    similar: dementia, derangement, insanity, lunacy, madness, mania, rage (archaic)
    related: neurosis, psychosis, instability, irrationality, unreasonableness, delirium, frenzy, hysteria, hallucinosis, hypomania, paranoia, schizophrenia, senile dementia, delusion, hallucination, monomania, obsession, phobia, abnormality, dementedness, unsoundness
    opposite: mind, saneness, sanity
    near: lucidity, rationality, rationalness, reasonability, reasonableness, normality, soundness

  2. something that is different from what is ordinary or expected

    "there are some slight aberrations in the type due to the nature of old printing presses"

    similar: abnormality, anomaly, exception, oddity, oddment, rarity
    related: curiosity, peculiarity, singularity, accident, bizarrerie, phenomenon, quirk, vagary, distortion, kink, mutation, variation, difference, disparity, inconsistence, inconsistency, error, mistake, contradiction, paradox
    near: norm, ordinary, usual

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Aberration

The most common words with a similar meaning to Aberration:

Archaic: rage
dementia, derangement, insanity, lunacy, madness, mania, abnormality, anomaly, exception, oddity, oddment, rarity

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Aberration

Words with the opposite meaning of Aberration:

mind, saneness, sanity

Related Words for Aberration

neurosis, psychosis, instability, irrationality, unreasonableness, delirium, frenzy, hysteria, hallucinosis, hypomania, paranoia, schizophrenia, senile dementia, delusion, hallucination, monomania, obsession, phobia, dementedness, unsoundness, curiosity, peculiarity, singularity, accident, bizarrerie, phenomenon, quirk, vagary, distortion, kink

Near Antonyms of Aberration

lucidity, rationality, rationalness, reasonability, reasonableness, normality, soundness, norm, ordinary, usual

Word Forms of Aberration

Derived words: aberrational (adjective)

Origin & Etymology of Aberration

borrowed from Latin aberrātiōn-, aberrātiō "diversion, relief," from aberrāre "to wander away" + -tiōn-, -tiō, suffix of action nouns aberrant:1

First known use: 1588

Vocabulary Lists & Topics for Aberration

Words & Phrases Containing Aberration

chromatic aberration, spherical aberration

Frequently Asked Questions about Aberration

What does "Aberration" mean?

"Aberration" means the fact or an instance of deviating or being aberrant especially from a moral standard or normal state. As a noun, it is defined as: the fact or an instance of deviating or being aberrant especially from a moral standard or normal state. It has 2 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Aberration"?

Other words for "Aberration" include dementia, derangement, insanity, lunacy, madness, mania, rage and abnormality. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Aberration" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Aberration"?

There are 53 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Aberration". Common alternatives include dementia, derangement, insanity, lunacy, madness, mania, rage, abnormality, anomaly and exception.

What is the opposite of "Aberration"?

Antonyms of "Aberration" include mind, saneness and sanity. Near antonyms include lucidity, rationality, rationalness and reasonability.

How do you use "Aberration" in a sentence?

Examples of "Aberration" in a sentence: "Joan of Arc was certain the voices she had been hearing were not a manifestation of some sort of aberration"; "there are some slight aberrations in the type due to the nature of old printing presses".

Is "Aberration" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Aberration" is a noun.

Is "Aberration" useful for IELTS, TOEFL, and other English exams?

As a C2-level word, "Aberration" is typical of Cambridge C2 Proficiency (CPE), IELTS band 8.5–9.0, TOEFL iBT 114–120, PTE Academic 85–90. Advanced words like this are also useful for the GRE, SAT, GMAT, and LSAT.

How do you pronounce "Aberration"?

"Aberration" is pronounced /ˌa-bə-ˈrā-shən/ and divided into syllables as ab·er·ra·tion.