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noun

as in average
what is typical of a group, class, or series a temperature chart showing the normals and extremes for various regions

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective normal differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of normal are natural, regular, and typical. While all these words mean "being of the sort or kind that is expected as usual, ordinary, or average," normal implies lack of deviation from what has been discovered or established as the most usual or expected.

normal behavior for a two-year-old

In what contexts can natural take the place of normal?

The meanings of natural and normal largely overlap; however, natural applies to what conforms to a thing's essential nature, function, or mode of being.

the natural love of a mother for her child

When is regular a more appropriate choice than normal?

While in some cases nearly identical to normal, regular stresses conformity to a rule, standard, or pattern.

the club's regular monthly meeting

When might typical be a better fit than normal?

The words typical and normal are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, typical implies showing all important traits of a type, class, or group and may suggest lack of strong individuality.

a typical small town

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of normal
Adjective
Temperatures on Friday are expected to be near normal, at 78 degrees. Robert A. Cronkleton, Kansas City Star, 28 May 2025 Short-Term Stress Temporarily Spikes Blood Pressure Temporary spikes in blood pressure in response to acute (short-term) stress are normal and expected. Angela Ryan Lee, Verywell Health, 28 May 2025
Noun
Normal snow range is the three-decade averages of climate normals from 1991-2020. Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 24 Mar. 2025 This year’s small audience decline is pretty on par with other award shows recently, suggesting that these ceremonies might be settling into a new normal after all of them saw viewership tank in 2020. Katie Campione, Deadline, 3 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for normal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for normal
Adjective
  • Stephen King’s novella about three chapters in the life of an ordinary man named Charles Krantz.
    Andrew Torgan, CNN Money, 1 June 2025
  • In other words, Catherine is a nice, ordinary middle-class English girl.
    Adelle Waldman, New Yorker, 31 May 2025
Adjective
  • Now, investors looking for stable returns may want to consider diversified investment alternatives such as the Trefis High Quality portfolio, which has showcased impressive performance, yielding over 91% returns since its inception.
    Trefis Team, Forbes.com, 5 June 2025
  • This release is aimed at fixing some problems that cropped up in an earlier Gemini Pro update, and the word is, this version will become a stable release that comes to the Gemini app for everyone to use.
    ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 5 June 2025
Adjective
  • Ordinarily, between 1,700 and 2,000 job orders are posted during a typical day shift, and between 1,100 and 1,400 are posted during a standard night shift.
    Caroline Petrow-Cohen, Los Angeles Times, 7 June 2025
  • The show ran for four seasons until 2011 and followed a typical teenager who secretly had a double life as a famous pop star.
    Nicholas Rice, People.com, 7 June 2025
Noun
  • For noncitizens, during last year’s Labor Day weekend, travelers waited an average of 113 minutes and during the biggest backup, at least one unlucky passenger waited 245 minutes, or more than four hours, to make it through customs.
    Terry Castleman, Los Angeles Times, 2 June 2025
  • Among players with at least 70 receptions last season, McMillan ranked No. 2 nationally in off-target reception percentage at 18.5, more than six points higher than the average in that category.
    Joseph Person, New York Times, 2 June 2025
Adjective
  • Recruiters are no longer confined to hiring in the same usual saturated areas, benefiting emerging tech hubs.
    Nacho De Marco, Forbes.com, 29 May 2025
  • Nvidia’s Jensen Huang was more somber than usual on the AI juggernaut’s conference call following its blockbuster earnings, according to CNBC’s Kristina Partsinevelos , who has been analyzing all the action in the cult stock for the last 24 hours.
    John Melloy, CNBC, 29 May 2025
Adjective
  • His answer was lucid as a fog bank and inspiring as a stalk of celery.
    Mark Barabak, Mercury News, 21 May 2025
  • Electrophysiological correlates of lucid dreaming: sensor and source level signatures Taylor & Francis.
    Paul Smaglik, Discover Magazine, 21 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • The deadly shooting is under investigation, and the two officers involved are on standard administrative leave until it is completed.
    Michael Nied, People.com, 27 May 2025
  • Specs In Line With The Realme GT 7 Internally, the Realme GT 7 Dream Edition is similar to the standard GT 7.
    Prakhar Khanna, Forbes.com, 27 May 2025
Noun
  • Davis shared her love for Sacramento’s ballroom culture, which focuses on competitive performance, dancing and modeling to reflect societal norms such as gender and social classes.
    Veronica Fernandez-Alvarado, Sacbee.com, 5 June 2025
  • Their lower rate of engagement can reflect a cultural background shaped by different societal norms around mental health, where there has traditionally been a stigma associated with seeking help.
    Suzanne Blake, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Normal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/normal. Accessed 10 Jun. 2025.

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