erratic

[ ih-rat-ik ]
See synonyms for: erraticerratically on Thesaurus.com

adjective
  1. deviating from the usual or proper course in conduct or opinion; eccentric: erratic behavior.

  2. inconsistent, irregular, or unpredictable: Many factors affect purchasing power, such as inflation and erratic swings in the stock market.

  1. having no certain or definite course or pattern; wandering; not fixed: erratic winds.

  2. Geology. noting or pertaining to a boulder or the like carried by glacial ice and deposited some distance from its place of origin.

  3. (of a lichen) having no attachment to the surface on which it grows.

noun
  1. an erratic or eccentric person.

  2. Geology. an erratic boulder or the like.

Origin of erratic

1
First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English, from Latin errāticus, equivalent to errāt(us) (past participle of errāre “to make a mistake, err” (see err) + -icus -ic

Other words for erratic

Opposites for erratic

Other words from erratic

  • er·rat·i·cal·ly, adverb
  • er·rat·i·cism, noun
  • non·er·rat·ic, adjective, noun
  • un·er·rat·ic, adjective

Words that may be confused with erratic

Words Nearby erratic

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use erratic in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for erratic

erratic

/ (ɪˈrætɪk) /


adjective
  1. irregular in performance, behaviour, or attitude; inconsistent and unpredictable

  2. having no fixed or regular course; wandering

noun
  1. a piece of rock that differs in composition, shape, etc, from the rock surrounding it, having been transported from its place of origin, esp by glacial action

  2. an erratic person or thing

Origin of erratic

1
C14: from Latin errāticus, from errāre to wander, err

Derived forms of erratic

  • erratically, adverb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012