Meaning of 'deviate'

adjective

markedly different from an accepted norm

Synonyms: aberrant

noun

an archaic term for a person whose behavior is non-standard, especially in sexual behavior; see deviant

Example: "Members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community were often labelled as deviates in previous decades."

Synonyms: degenerate

verb

turn aside

Synonyms: divert

verb

cause to turn away from a previous or expected course

Example: "The river was deviated to prevent flooding"

verb

be at variance with, especially in the field of statistics

Example: "The outliers deviated considerably from the mean."

Synonyms: vary depart diverge