erratically
Americanadverb
-
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.
-
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
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."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"We've got reports of robots causing issues with traffic, blocking emergency vehicles because they're acting erratically at crosswalks."
From BBC ● Jun. 17, 2026
If the stock starts trading erratically, bankers have a secret weapon to attempt to calm things down.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 2026
The singer, 44, was pulled over by the CHP while driving a black BMW 430i after dispatchers received reports of the vehicle being driven erratically and at high speeds.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 30, 2026
This year hasn’t resembled 2025 at all, trading erratically at best.
From Barron's ● Apr. 18, 2026
Then a Dancing Trout pickup chugged erratically past Forest Service headquarters and stopped in the middle of the plaza area.
From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
