abnormality
noun
Simple meaning
An abnormal physical condition resulting from defective genes or developmental deficiencies.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
abnawrmaluhteeSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
æbnɔɹˈmæləti
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
An abnormal physical condition resulting from defective genes or developmental deficiencies
“Genetic testing revealed an inherited abnormality affecting the development of his bones.”
Something abnormal; an aberration; an abnormal occurrence or feature.
The state or quality of being abnormal; variation; irregularity.
Marked strangeness as a consequence of being abnormal
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- C2 · Proficient (estimated)
- Frequency
- Uncommon
- Formality
- Technical
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: An abnormal physical condition resulting from defective genes or developmental deficiencies
This 'abnormality' specifically refers to a physical or developmental issue, differentiating it from a general 'abnormality' in behavior or data. It’s often used in medical or biological contexts.
“Genetic testing revealed an inherited abnormality affecting the development of his bones.”
- Emotional tone
- Negative
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Gentle
- How common
- Common
- Connotation
- Serious and weighty
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Where you'll really hear it
Medical journal
“Doctors identified a congenital abnormality in the newborn.”
Healthcare form
“Please list any known birth defects or physical abnormalities.”
Biology textbook
“Genetic mutations can lead to physical abnormalities in organisms.”
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Abnormal
Other combinations
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Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
Any change in the normal structure or number of chromosomes.
A defect that is present at birth.
A disease or disorder that is inherited genetically.
Any abnormality of mental function.
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.