deviation

[dee-vee-ey-shuhn]

noun

1. the act of deviating.

2. departure from a standard or norm.

3. Statistics.,  the difference between one of a set of values and some fixed value, usually the mean of the set.

4. Navigation.,  the error of a magnetic compass, as that of a ship, on a given heading as a result of local magnetism.

5. Optics.

   1. Also called deflection. the bending of rays of light away from a straight line.

   2. angle of deviation.

6. departure or divergence from an established dogma or ideology, especially a Communist one.

deviation

/ ˌdiːvɪˈeɪʃən /

noun

1. an act or result of deviating

2. statistics the difference between an observed value in a series of such values and their arithmetic mean

3. the error of a compass due to local magnetic disturbances

deviation

1. The difference between one number in a set and the mean of the set.

Other Word Forms

• deviatory adjective
• deviative adjective
• nondeviation noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of deviation¹

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English, from Middle French, from Medieval Latin dēviātiōn-, stem of dēviātiō; equivalent to deviate + -ion

Example Sentences

Consequently, “Essex Honey” shows a soft deviation in tone from his previous work.

From Los Angeles Times

Sunday’s posts are a sharp deviation from Elmo’s typical content, which consists of uplifting, positive messages for his audience of young children.

From Salon

His deviation from that plan in the air had "activated alert protocols", Chile's General Directorate of Civil Aeronautics said in a statement.

From BBC

Whether the rightward drift of young South Korean men is a temporary deviation or a more serious forecast for South Korea’s democracy is still an open question, according to Kim.

From Los Angeles Times

"For day one of a Lord's Test match, it was below average in terms of movement through the air, and just about average for deviation off the pitch," said TMS scorer Andy Zaltzman.

From BBC

Related Words

• aberration 
• alteration 
• anomaly 
• breach 
• detour 
• discrepancy 
• disparity 
• divergence 
• diversion 
• fluctuation 
• inconsistency 
• irregularity 
• modification 
• variance 
• variation