deviant/deviate: Common Errors in English Usage Entry for Friday, March 2, 2012

deviant/deviate
The technical term used by professionals to label someone whose behavior deviates from the norm is “deviate,” but if you want to tease a perv friend you may as well call him a “deviant”—that’s what almost everybody else says. In your sociology class, however, you might want to stick with “deviate.”