abnormalab‧norm‧al /æbˈnɔːməl $ -ˈnɔːr-/ ●○○ AWL adjective 
abnormal behaviour an abnormal level of cholesterol My parents thought it was abnormal for a boy to be interested in ballet.—abnormally adverb: an abnormally high pulse rate
WORD ORIGINabnormal
Origin:
1800-1900 ab- ‘away from, not’ (from Latin ab- ‘away, off’) + normalEXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- abnormal behaviour that may be a sign of mental illness
- an abnormal chest x-ray
- an abnormal heartbeat
- El Nino is caused by abnormal amounts of warm water in the Pacific Ocean.
- My parents thought it was abnormal for a boy to be interested in ballet.
- Some people suffer an abnormal fear of being in open places.
- After an abnormal Pap smear, she was diagnosed with a fibroid tumor.
- Both schizophrenia and mood disorders show evidence of decreased activity in frontal lobes and abnormal function of the system for directed attention.
- Conversely, patients with quiescent disease who continue to have persistently abnormal blood tests have a high recurrence rate.
- More importantly, the display highlights any system or area experiencing abnormal conditions, whether plant malfunction or unacceptable ambience levels.
- Moreover there were no clinical or prognostic differences between those with and those without abnormal pancreatic radiology.
- Possibly a congenital abnormal connection was present between the cystic duct and the right biliary system.
- The abnormal can be left, for news of it will inevitably rise like a suppurating boil.
- They were well-intentioned creatures of abnormal physical strength and they were easily taken in by women.
Longman Language Activatornot ordinary/not normal in a very bad way
very different from what is normal, in a way that is strange, worrying, or dangerous: · abnormal behaviour that may be a sign of mental illness· an abnormal chest x-ray· El Nino is caused by abnormal amounts of warm water in the Pacific Ocean.it is abnormal (for somebody) to do something: · My parents thought it was abnormal for a boy to be interested in ballet.
different from normal human behaviour in a way that seems morally wrong: · unnatural acts· In some countries, it's considered unnatural for women with families to want to work outside the home.· Brown spoke out against what he considered the unnatural lifestyles of unmarried couples who live together.
formal deviant behaviour or actions are considered to be very strange and morally unacceptable -- often used about sexual or criminal behaviour: · The magazine shows people engaging in deviant sexual acts.· Certain practices that once were condemned as deviant are now considered fairly normal.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY My parents thought it was abnormal for a boy to be interested in ballet. an abnormally high pulse rateCOLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
My parents thought it was abnormal for a boy to be interested in ballet. an abnormally high pulse rate· They thought their son’s behaviour was perfectly normal.· Were there any signs of abnormal behaviour?
· The test enables doctors to detect abnormal cells.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADVERB· Previously many historians perceived crime as abnormal and peripheral, fit only for study by specialists in deviance.
NOUN· But most mental illness lacks any clear physical symptoms and is recognizable only from the patient's abnormal behaviour.· Horses kept in small yards by themselves develop repetitive patterns of abnormal behaviour, such as whirling in circles and chasing their tails.· Although a child like Matthew clearly shows abnormal behaviour, others with hyperkinetic syndrome may only be mildly affected.· Some cat owners notice that their cats become wool-suckers at a certain age and they worry about this apparently abnormal behaviour.
· It may be that most of the time our immune system is able to control the development of abnormal cells.· Gail said her gynecologist tells her all the abnormal cells are gone for now.· Cryosurgery, freezing out the abnormal cells, does not require any anaesthesia.· The early treatment of abnormal cells will not affect your drive or fertility.· There they may start another site where abnormal cells start growing.· It recognizes abnormal cells, destroys them or walls them off.
WORD FAMILYnounnormality/normalcy ≠ abnormalitynormalnormalizationadjectivenormal ≠ abnormalverbnormalizeadverbnormally ≠ abnormally
very different from usual in a way that seems strange, worrying, wrong, or dangerous OPP normal: abnormal behaviour an abnormal level of cholesterol My parents thought it was abnormal for a boy to be interested in ballet.—abnormally adverb: an abnormally high pulse rate