deviance

Actions or behaviors that violate formal and informal cultural norms such as laws and customs.

Noun

  1. Actions or behaviors that violate formal and informal cultural norms such as laws and customs.
    • Socrates was sentenced to death for his deviance.
  2. A person or thing that differs from the expected.

Origin

Etymology tree Latin dē viā Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂yéti Proto-Italic *-āō Latin -ō Latin dēviārebor. French dévier French -ance French déviancebor. English deviance Borrowed from French déviance.

Forms

deviances

Related

deviant deviation

Derived

phenodeviance