erratic

[ih-rat-ik]

adjective

1. deviating from the usual or proper course in conduct or opinion; eccentric.

   erratic behavior.

   Synonyms: capricious, unstable, unpredictable
   Antonyms: stable, regular, consistent

2. inconsistent, irregular, or unpredictable.

   Many factors affect purchasing power, such as inflation and erratic swings in the stock market.

3. having no certain or definite course or pattern; wandering; not fixed.

   erratic winds.

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

5. (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.

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

Other Word Forms

• erratically adverb
• erraticism noun
• nonerratic adjective
• unerratic adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of erratic¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of erratic¹

C14: from Latin errāticus, from errāre to wander, _err

Example Sentences

If confusion or erratic shifts become a reality, however, it might erode financial-market confidence in financial stability overall.

Read more on MarketWatch

The Palisades fire, which devastated Los Angeles’ Pacific Palisades neighborhood, was one of several wildfires across the region in early January as strong and erratic winds fueled unprecedented and disastrous blazes.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Analysts say the policy can be erratic—the administration one day floating talks with Venezuela, a few later hardening its approach.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Spread by erratic, hurricane-force winds, it pushed embers for miles “in darkness and intense smoke.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

The Dodgers’ road to success is clear: more of the starters, less of the erratic relievers, and less need to lean on Glasnow and Sheehan in an unfamiliar role.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• abnormal 
• arbitrary 
• bizarre 
• capricious 
• eccentric 
• inconsistent 
• irregular 
• mercurial 
• uncertain 
• unreliable 
• unstable 
• unusual 
• volatile 
• wayward 
• weird 
• whimsical