deviation.

A difference from a specified course, standard, or expected value.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• deviation from a norm
• standard deviation

On the page

The team investigated each deviation from the planned route.

Usage notes

Primary category: academic / formal. Forms: Countable or uncountable by context; countable singular deviation; plural deviations. Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Established modern English lexical item. No separate regional spelling or grammatical inflection entry. Writing functions: analysis, explanation, qualification. Commonness: moderately common.