anomalism: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
C2/Very RareFormal, Academic, Technical
Quick answer
What does “anomalism” mean?
The quality or state of being anomalous.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
The quality or state of being anomalous; deviation from the common rule, type, or arrangement; irregularity.
A specific instance of irregularity or deviation, often used in philosophical contexts to refer to a theory in the philosophy of mind denying the possibility of strict psychophysical laws.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant spelling or syntactic differences. The word is equally rare and formal in both varieties.
Connotations
Strongly academic/philosophical; carries connotations of theoretical or systemic irregularity rather than simple oddity.
Frequency
Extremely low frequency in both corpora, with a slight edge in academic American English philosophical texts.
Grammar
How to Use “anomalism” in a Sentence
The [theory/concept] of anomalismexplain the observed anomalism in [something]due to the [inherent/statistical] anomalism ofVocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “anomalism” in a Sentence
verb
British English
- This data cannot be anomalised; it simply is irregular.
- The theory attempts to anomalise mental events.
American English
- The model anomalizes the expected pattern.
- You can't just anomalize a standard procedure.
adverb
British English
- The system behaved anomalistically under pressure.
- He argued anomalistically for a complete paradigm shift.
American English
- The data points are distributed anomalistically.
- She interpreted the law anomalistically.
adjective
British English
- The anomalistic behaviour of the particle was documented.
- He took an anomalistic view of the evidence.
American English
- An anomalistic reading of the text challenges the norm.
- The results showed an anomalistic trend.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Almost never used.
Academic
Primarily in philosophy of mind, discussing Donald Davidson's 'anomalous monism'. Also in scientific writing to describe persistent statistical irregularities.
Everyday
Virtually never used in everyday conversation.
Technical
Used in specialized fields like statistics (persistent outlier data), geology (irregular strata), or theoretical physics.
Vocabulary
Synonyms of “anomalism”
Strong
Vocabulary
Antonyms of “anomalism”
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “anomalism”
- Misspelling as 'anomalism' (with double m) or 'anomalysm'.
- Using it as a synonym for a single, simple anomaly rather than the state or theory of anomalies.
- Incorrect pronunciation stress on the first syllable (AN-omalism) instead of the second (a-NOM-alism).
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
'Anomaly' refers to a specific instance of irregularity (e.g., a statistical outlier). 'Anomalism' is an abstract noun referring to the general state, condition, or theory of being anomalous, especially as a philosophical doctrine.
No, it is a very rare, formal, and highly specialized term. An English learner is far more likely to encounter and use 'anomaly' or 'irregularity'.
Using 'anomalism' in everyday conversation would sound unnatural and overly academic. Simpler synonyms like 'oddity', 'irregularity', or just 'anomaly' are always preferred.
It is a philosophical theory by Donald Davidson which combines the view that all events are physical (monism) with the view that mental events cannot be described or predicted by strict physical laws (anomalism). 'Anomalism' is a key component of this theory.
The quality or state of being anomalous.
Anomalism is usually formal, academic, technical in register.
Anomalism: in British English it is pronounced /əˈnɒm.ə.lɪ.zəm/, and in American English it is pronounced /əˈnɑː.mə.lɪ.zəm/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “No common idioms”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think: 'AN OMALY in the ISM' (a belief system about anomalies). The word is an 'anomaly' itself because it's so rare.
Conceptual Metaphor
IRREGULARITY IS A PRINCIPLE (Anomalism treats deviation as a fundamental rule or doctrine).
Practice
Quiz
In which context is 'anomalism' MOST likely to be used?