aberration
ab-uh-RAY-shun · noun
A departure from what is normal, usual, or expected.
Memory connection
Picture “a bear ration”
The cafeteria normally serves soup, but today the tray holds a bear ration. That strange, one-time departure from lunch is an aberration.
The sound cue helps you reach the scene; the action in the scene carries you from the scene to the definition.
Use it accurately
Meaning in context
The unusually low score was an aberration in an otherwise strong season.
One month of falling prices may be an aberration rather than a durable shift.
Aberration often suggests an exception that should not be treated as the new pattern.
Common patterns
- a temporary aberration
- statistical aberration
- dismissed as an aberration
Quick check
Can you retrieve the meaning?
What does calling an event an aberration imply?
Choose an answer, then explain it in your own words.