erratically

American  

[ih-rat-ik-lee] / ɪˈræt ɪk li /

adverb

1. in a way that deviates from what is normal or proper.

   When other employees noticed she was behaving erratically, the store installed cameras and caught her stealing pills.

2. without any definite direction or pattern; in an irregular or inconsistent way.

   The cyclone moved erratically westward and southward for two days while slowly strengthening into a tropical storm.

   Since I was fourteen I've kept a journal, albeit somewhat erratically at times.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonerratically
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of erratically

First recorded in 1610–20; erratic ( def. ) + -ally ( def. )

Explanation

If you do something erratically, you do it in an arbitrary or irregular way. Driving erratically is a good way to get pulled over by a traffic cop. A new bike rider might pedal erratically up and down the street, swerving and stopping suddenly. Or, your anxiety about getting an important grade could make you behave erratically, chewing your nails nervously one minute and laughing loudly the next. Things that are erratic are uneven or unpredictable, and the Latin root is erraticus, "wandering, straying, or roving."

Related Words

• carelessly