a
be
rra
tion
Plural
aberrations
1
something that is different from what is expected and normal
- The warm winter was seen as an aberration in the region's climate.
- His calm reaction was an aberration from his usual fiery temper.
- The team's loss was an aberration in their otherwise successful season.
- The sudden drop in temperatures was considered an aberration for the season.
- The peaceful protest turning violent was viewed as an aberration.
2
any distortion of an image due to imperfections in optical elements
- Chromatic aberration in the camera lens showed up as colored fringes around high-contrast edges.
- The telescope suffered from spherical aberration, so distant stars appeared surrounded by fuzzy halos.
- Engineers designed aspheric surfaces to minimize aberrations in high-precision lenses.
- Wide-angle lenses often exhibit barrel distortion, a form of geometric aberration.
- Researchers corrected optical aberrations digitally to achieve crisper microscopic images.
Synonyms:
3
a deviation of the mind from its normal functioning
- The psychiatrist described his compulsive rituals as a temporary mental aberration.
- Witnesses spoke of paranoid aberrations in the patient's behavior before treatment.
- She labeled his sudden withdrawal from friends an aberration brought on by stress.
- The novel explores the protagonist's psychological aberrations under extreme isolation.
- Delusional aberrations can sometimes be precipitated by traumatic brain injury.