noun
anomaly
uh-NAH-muh-lee/əˈnɑːməli/
Something that differs from what is normal or expected.
The angular red stone is an anomaly among the uniform pebbles.
Etymology
The pieces express “not even,” originally describing unevenness or irregularity. This became deviation from a common rule, then a particular thing that departs from the expected pattern.
In context
the data points are expected or not or if they're very rare right so highly isolated points like this that are way outside the realm maybe that's what makes an anomaly
More examples
- One warm winter does not explain every climate anomaly.
- Her sudden silence is an anomaly in their usually lively conversations.
- The software flags unusual transactions as possible anomalies.
Forms
anomaly · anomalies
anomalous adjective — Different from what is normal or expected.
Similar words
- exception
- Something outside a rule, not necessarily unexpected or puzzling.
- irregularity
- Often suggests an uneven pattern or procedural problem.