abnormal event

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "abnormal event" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to describe an occurrence that deviates from the norm or expected behavior, often in contexts such as science, technology, or safety. Example: "The system detected an abnormal event that required immediate investigation to ensure safety protocols were followed."

✓ Grammatically correct

Science

News & Media

Academia

Formal & Business

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

51 human-written examples

Experimental results show that the deep model is effective for abnormal event detection in video surveillance.

Neurocomputing

Abnormal event detection in video surveillance is extremely important, especially for crowded scenes.

Neurocomputing

No abnormal event such as large mass flow rates was observed.

Cryogenics

It is the central component of abnormal event management (AEM) which has attracted a lot of attention recently.

Computers & Chemical Engineering

Each potential fault or abnormal event may influence stability and safety of the cryogenic system, thereby disturbing the fusion experiment.

Fusion Engineering and Design

Psychologists have shown, however, that people are more likely to recall factors associated with an abnormal event than with a normal one.

The New York Times

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

9 human-written examples

Many abnormal events were identified and these abnormalities became frequent 24 hours after the addition of HU (Fig. S2), and at subsequent time points (Figs. 2, S3, S4).

Plosone

Instruct field personnel to report abnormal events.

Harvard Business Review

All the abnormal events satisfy the criteria with margin.

Nuclear Engineering and Design

"What the party fears most are abnormal events like this".

The New York Times

As the process operates, abnormal events will result in incidents and near misses.

Journal of Loss Prevention in the Process Industries

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

In psychological contexts, use the phrase to validate reactions to trauma, as in 'a normal reaction to an abnormal event'.

Common error

Don't use "abnormal event" to describe a planned but rare occurrence like a leap year. An event is only abnormal if it violates the expected structural behavior of the system, not just because it happens infrequently.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "abnormal event" functions as a noun phrase where the adjective "abnormal" modifies the noun "event". According to Ludwig AI, this construction is grammatically correct and widely used in professional settings. It typically serves as the subject or object in sentences describing monitoring, safety protocols, or psychological states.

Expression frequency: Common

Frequent in

Science

55%

News & Media

25%

Academia

20%

Less common in

Social Media

5%

Wiki

3%

Reference

2%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "abnormal event" is a precise and versatile term used across multiple high-authority domains. Ludwig AI confirms its status as a correct and highly functional phrase, particularly effective in industrial, scientific, and psychological contexts. It is most frequently found in discussions regarding surveillance systems, process engineering and traumatic stress management. When writing, ensure that the 'abnormality' is clearly contrasted against a 'normal' baseline to maintain technical accuracy. For less formal writing, consider alternatives like "<a href="/s/unusual+occurrence" target="_blank" rel="alternative">unusual occurrence" to avoid a clinical tone.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

unusual occurrence

More common in general or casual descriptions of unexpected things happening

anomalous incident

Stresses the statistical or technical nature of the deviation

atypical event

A slightly softer term suggesting that while rare, it is not necessarily problematic

irregularity

Often used in administrative, legal, or procedural contexts to denote a lack of consistency

aberration

Suggests a significant or strange departure from what is right, true, or expected

deviation

Focuses on the measurable distance from a standard path or baseline

outlier

Specific to data and statistics, referring to a point that differs significantly from others

critical incident

Used in emergency services and healthcare to denote a high-impact unexpected event

system fault

Specific to engineering and IT, describing an internal failure leading to the event

unforeseen circumstance

Focuses on the lack of predictability rather than the nature of the event itself

FAQs

How to use "abnormal event" in a sentence?

You can use it to describe system triggers, for example: "The security software is designed to detect any abnormal event and alert the administrator immediately."

What can I say instead of "abnormal event"?

Depending on your context, you can use "<a href="/s/unusual+occurrence" target="_blank" rel="alternative">unusual occurrence", "<a href="/s/anomalous+incident" target="_blank" rel="alternative">anomalous incident" or "<a href="/s/irregularity" target="_blank" rel="alternative">irregularity".

What's the difference between "abnormal event" and "anomalous data"?

An "abnormal event" refers to the physical or situational occurrence itself, whereas anomalous data refers to the digital or numerical representation of that occurrence.

Is "abnormal event" formal enough for a research paper?

Yes, it is very common in fields like computer science (e.g., in surveillance algorithms) and engineering (e.g., in process management).