A noticeable or marked departure from the appropriate norm, plan, standard, procedure, or variable being reviewed. Similar to variance. Chicago Mercantile Exchange Glossary
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deviation de‧vi‧a‧tion [ˌdiːviˈeɪʆn] noun
1. [countable, uncountable] a noticeable difference from what is expected or acceptable:
• Any deviation in the current inflation rate could send stocks sharply up or down.
deviation from
• The sudden rise in market prices was an unexpected deviation from the norm.
2. [countable] STATISTICS a difference between a number or measurement in a set and the average of all the numbers or measurements in that set
ˌstandard deviˈation [countable] STATISTICS
a number that shows how widely members of a mathematically related group vary from the average:
• Volatility as measured by the standard deviation of daily stock price movements has frequently been much higher than it is today.
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deviation UK US /ˌdiːviˈeɪʃən/ noun
► [C or U] a difference from what is usual or expected: »
The letter cited 'significant deviations from current good manufacturing practice'.
► [U] the difference between a particular number and the average or normal number: »
In a recent analysis of local temperature changes, Reno ranked first by amount of deviation from the 30-year average.
Financial and business terms. 2012.