Normality and Normalcy Normality and Normalcy Normality and Normalcy By Maeve Maddox Audrey Bennett asks: Can normalcy and normality be used interchangeably? Both nouns derive from the adjective normal. normal: conforming to a standard; usual, typical, or expected. The adverb is normally. According to some speakers, normalcy is an abominable neologism to be avoided at all costs. This attitude is illustrated by this comment praising a writer for preferring normality over normalcy: A Nobel in Literature to you for writing “return to normality†instead of the ugly neologism “normalcy,†first popularized by Warren G. Harding. Actually, according to the OED, this particular neologism was around as early as 1857, nearly half a century before Harding used it in his campaign in 1920 when he promised a return to normalcy. The following examples are all from U.S.
