normality

IPA/nɔːˈmæləti/
KK[nˌɔrmˈæləti]IPA/nɔːrˈmæləti/

normality — noun

1. the usual and expected state of life or things, especially after a period of tro

1.nounC1
Definition

the usual and expected state of life or things, especially after a period of trouble or change

Example

After six weeks in hospital, Mateo wanted life to return to normality.

pattern: return to normality

The market reopened on Monday, giving the town a feeling of normality.

collocation: a feeling of normality

Common collocations
  • return to normality
  • restore normality
  • a sense of normality
  • a feeling of normality
  • regain normality
  • back to normality
Synonyms
  • routine

    focuses on regular daily habits rather than the overall state of life

  • stability

    emphasizes steadiness and the absence of sudden change

  • order

    stresses control and lack of confusion more than everyday usualness

Antonyms
  • chaos

    describes complete disorder rather than the usual state

  • disruption

    focuses on the break in normal conditions

  • abnormality

    means a condition or sign that is outside what is normal

Grammar Patterns

return to normality

restore normality

a sense of normality

Usage Note

Usually uncountable and often used after verbs like return to, restore, regain, or bring. It is common when life has been interrupted by illness, disaster, war, or another major change.

Common Mistakes

After the strike, life returned to the normality.
After the strike, life returned to normality.
this noun is usually uncountable here and does not take 'the'.
The office felt very normality again.
The office felt normal again.
use the adjective 'normal' after 'feel'; 'normality' is a noun.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Normality is the broadest of these words. It describes life, conditions, or behaviour feeling usual again after something unusual, stressful, or disruptive. Stability is narrower and stresses steadiness, especially in health, money, or politics. Routine focuses on the repeated pattern of daily actions, such as work, meals, or school. Order emphasizes control and the absence of confusion. After a storm, a town may return to normality even before every routine is back in place. A government may seek stability without fully restoring normality, and a teacher may bring order to a noisy classroom long before the day feels normal again.

normality ↗stability ↗routine ↗order ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • sense of normality
  • feeling of normality
  • degree of normality

Phrases

  • return to normality
  • restore normality
  • back to normality
  • a new normality

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

Normality was formed in English from normal plus the noun ending -ity. Normal came through French from Latin norma, a word for a carpenter's square and then a rule or standard. Because of that history, normality originally carried the idea of fitting an accepted pattern, and today it usually means the condition of life feeling usual or expected.