Definition of Freak

In current usage, the word "freak" is commonly used to refer to a person with something strikingly unusual about their appearance or behaviour. This usage dates from the so-called freak scene of the 1960s and 1970s. "Freak" in this sense may be used either as a pejorative, a term of admiration, or a self-description. It can also denote a strong obsession with a particular activity, e.g., "He's such a neat-freak" or "You're a singing freak". The term "freaky" can also apply to a person who is sexually adventurous, or by itself as in "that person's a freak" (in bed). As an extension of this definition, within pornography, the word can refer to someone who is viewed as being a particularly extreme sex addict, or for whom sex is a central focus of their lives. An older usage refers to the physically deformed, or having extraordinary diseases and conditions, such as sideshow performers. This has fallen into disuse, except as a pejorative, and (among the performers of such shows) as jargon. A "freak" in this sense can be formally defined as someone not falling within typical  standard deviations. For example, people of small stature would not be classified as freaks unless they are within the third standard deviation for the general population, while the same principle would apply to exceptionally tall people. "Freaks" of this kind can be classified into two groups: natural freaks and made freaks. A natural freak would usually refer to a genetic abnormality, while a made freak is a once normal person who experienced or initiated an alteration at some point in life (such as receiving surgical implants).