adjective
Other Word Forms
- erroneously adverb
- erroneousness noun
- nonerroneous adjective
- nonerroneousness noun
Etymology
Origin of erroneous
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Latin errōneus “straying,” equivalent to errōn- (stem of errō ) “wanderer” (derivative of err-; err ) + -eus adjective suffix ( -eous )
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.
"China urges the US side to correct its erroneous practices," it said in a separate statement on Friday.
From Barron's • Mar. 13, 2026
During January’s fires, emergency alert failures killed trust: Altadena residents received evacuation orders five hours late, and 10 million got erroneous alerts countywide.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 27, 2025
Volunteers who work on free software he maintains, a widely used program called Curl, were inundated with useless or erroneous reports.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 11, 2025
By way of erroneous example, the letter exclusively mentions ICEBlock, which does not collect or display anybody’s identity.
From Slate • Dec. 8, 2025
My father’s care and attentions were indefatigable, but he did not know the origin of my sufferings and sought erroneous methods to remedy the incurable ill.
From "Frankenstein" by Mary Shelley
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.
