erratically

[ih-rat-ik-lee]

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.

Other Word Forms

• nonerratically adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of erratically¹

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

Example Sentences

Police in San Bruno were patrolling for drunk drivers when they observed a car traveling erratically.

From Los Angeles Times

"His driving patterns changed. Where he was going, he was driving erratically which is typical of someone trying to evade surveillance."

From BBC

That brings the threat of fires sparked by lightning, amid high temperatures that could spur fires to grow vertically, in a plume-like shape, and to behave erratically.

From Los Angeles Times

Videos of teenagers and young adults acting erratically in public while vaping have also gone viral on social media, sparking concern among Singaporeans who widely support the country's tough penalties on drug trafficking and use.

From BBC

In one case, an unarmed responder team was dispatched to an apartment where a woman identified in the report as “Liz” had been behaving erratically.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• carelessly www.thesaurus.com