different from what is usual or expected, especially in a way that is worrying, harmful or not wanted abnormal levels of sugar in the blood They thought his behaviour was abnormal. The ship was blown off course by abnormal weather conditions. opposite normal Oxford Collocations DictionaryAbnormal is used with these nouns: cell, development, gene, … See full entry Word Originmid 19th cent.: alteration (by association with Latin abnormis ‘monstrous’) of 16th-cent. anormal, from French, variant of anomal, via Latin from Greek anōmalos(from an- ‘not’ + homalos ‘even’)Extra examples In their society women without children are considered abnormal. Abnormal behaviour in zoo animals is often due to the stress of captivity. He was very quick to notice anything abnormal. It is a special secure hospital for mentally abnormal prisoners. The accidents were due to abnormal weather conditions. The test detects abnormal cells that could become cancerous. There was nothing abnormal about her behaviour.
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