verb · academic
deviate
/ˈdiːvieɪt/de·VI·ate
to do something that is different from what is expected or agreed, or to move away from a standard or norm
Examples
“Researchers must explain why their findings deviate from previous studies.”
“If a student deviates from the assignment brief, the mark may be reduced.”
“You can use 'deviate' in Part 3 when discussing unusual trends or exceptions.”
Band 8 sentence
“While the study's methodology was sound, the sample's characteristics deviated from the population, limiting generalisability.”
Collocations
- deviate from the norm
- deviate slightly
- deviation from protocol
Word family
Common mistakes
use 'deviate' like 'avoid': "deviate the problem"→"avoid the problem" or "deviate from the problem" (meaning different)
omit preposition: "deviate the norm"→"deviate from the norm"
Say it for a higher band
5digress→6diverge→7+deviate
Synonyms
digress
diverge
Easily confused
digress
“He tended to digress during his presentations.”
diverge
“Their opinions diverged after the meeting.”
Related words
Learn this word with the rest of its set, and get reminded at the right time.
In Sublist 10
Learn it with its set