anomaly
- 01 C1 Advanced
something that is unusual or different from what is normal.
a deviation from a common rule, type, arrangement, or form; an outlier in a dataset or pattern.
Simple“The snowstorm in the middle of summer was a complete anomaly.”
In context“The researchers treated the sudden spike in temperature as a statistical anomaly rather than evidence of a new trend.”
UsageOften used with the indefinite article 'an' because it begins with a vowel sound.
SynonymsAntonyms - 02 C2 Proficiency
a part of the body that has not developed in the normal way.
a structural or functional defect or malformation, especially one present from birth.
Simple“The doctor explained that the heart anomaly was something he was born with.”
In context“Advanced prenatal screening can now detect minor physical anomalies that might have gone unnoticed in previous decades.”
- 03 C2 Proficiency
a specific angle used to describe where a planet is in its orbit.
any of several angular distances used to describe the position of a celestial body in its orbit.
Simple“The scientist calculated the true anomaly to find the planet's exact location.”
In context“To accurately predict the satellite's trajectory, the ground team had to account for the mean anomaly at the specific epoch.”
From Latin anomalia, from Ancient Greek ἀνωμαλία (anōmalía, “irregularity, anomaly”), from ἀνώμαλος (anṓmalos, “irregular, uneven”), negating the meaning of ὁμαλός (homalós, “even”), from ὁμός (homós, “same”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.