# deviate

/ˈdiviˌeɪt/ (US)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/deviate
Updated: 2026-08-27

## Senses

### 2. a difference in value

noun · CEFR C2 · Technical

the difference between a measured number and the average or expected number.

For teachers: the difference between an observed value and a reference value, such as the mean. Used primarily in quantitative analysis.

- The scientist calculated the deviate to see how far the result was from the average.
- In this statistical model, each deviate must be squared to ensure that negative values do not cancel out the positive ones during the final calculation.

### 3. a person who breaks norms

noun · CEFR C2 · Formal · Technical

a person whose behavior is very different from what society considers normal.

For teachers: a person whose attitudes or behavior depart from established social or moral norms. Often carries a negative or clinical connotation.

- In the past, anyone who did not follow local traditions was labeled a deviate.
- The sociological study examined how the community identifies and subsequently isolates individuals perceived as social deviates.

Teaching tip: In modern casual English, 'deviant' is much more common as a noun than 'deviate'.

## Examples

- The bus had to deviate from its usual route because of roadworks.
- The researchers noticed that the experimental results began to deviate significantly from the expected values after the third hour.
- While the director followed the original script for most of the film, he chose to deviate from the novel's ending to provide a more hopeful conclusion for the audience.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.