deviation
/ˌdiːviˈeɪʃn/ (bre, ipa) · /ˌdiːviˈeɪʃn/ (ame, ipa) · /ˌdē-vē-ˈā-shən/ (ame, mw)
deviation — noun
- deviationsingular
- deviationsplural
1. a situation or action in which someone or something moves away from what is usua
a situation or action in which someone or something moves away from what is usual, expected, or socially accepted
The teacher spotted a clear deviation from the dress code when Haruto arrived in costume.
collocation: deviation from [rule/code]
Any deviation from the recipe could ruin the texture of the cake.
Ritu's parents worried about her sudden deviation from her usual study habits.
The magazine refused to publish any article that showed a deviation from its political views.
Zola saw her friend's unusual outfit as a minor deviation that would not cause trouble.
- departure
more neutral and widely used; does not carry the same negative judgment as deviation
- divergence
implies moving in a different direction rather than breaking a rule; often used in opinion or path contexts
- aberration
stronger and more formal; suggests an abnormal or unacceptable departure from the norm
- anomaly
highlights something that stands out as unusual rather than a deliberate act of moving away
- conformity
the state of following accepted rules or standards
- adherence
sticking closely to a rule, plan, or standard
- compliance
obeying a rule or request, often in a formal or required context
文法句型
deviation from [norm/standard/rule]
a deviation — countable with article when referring to a specific instance
用法筆記
Frequently followed by the preposition 'from' to specify the norm or standard being departed from. The uncountable form describes the general concept, while the countable form highlights one specific instance.
常見錯誤
2. in statistics, the distance between one data point and the average or expected n
in statistics, the distance between one data point and the average or expected number in a set of measurements
The standard deviation tells you how spread out the test scores are.
technical term: standard deviation
A large deviation from the average might indicate a mistake in the measurement.
preposition: deviation from [average]
Adina calculated the deviation for each student's score to find the range.
Iris measured fifty metal rods and found a small deviation, so most diameters stayed close to the target size.
The lab report showed a deviation of 0.3% between the two test runs.
- variance
a related but distinct statistical term; variance is the square of the standard deviation
- difference
general term for the gap between numbers; less precise than deviation in formal statistics
- variation
broader term describing spread within a dataset; covers both deviation and other forms of dispersion
文法句型
[amount] deviation — modified by a value or adjective
deviation from [expected value/mean]
用法筆記
Most commonly encountered in the fixed phrase 'standard deviation', which is a core concept in descriptive statistics. Can be followed by 'of' when giving a specific value (a deviation of 2.5).