adjective
Other Word Forms
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-; see err) + -eus adjective suffix ( see -eous)
Explanation
The adjective erroneous describes something or someone as mistaken and incorrect. Early explorers had the erroneous notion that the oceans were full of dragons. When we talk about being on the "straight and narrow path" we aim to live a truthful and moral life. The Latin root of erroneous, or "to be incorrect" as well as "to be immoral," is errare, which means "to wander." It's clear that we make connections between behavior and direction or space. These two ideas have been linked for a very long time!
Vocabulary lists containing erroneous
Grade 9, List 6
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This Week in Words: January 13 - 19, 2018
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30 GRE Words Beginning with "E" and "F"
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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.
Ardestani, the Beverly Hills attorney, admitted that she was not forthcoming regarding her use of nonexistent and erroneous citations in filings for a wage-and-hour class-action complaint filed in federal court in Sacramento in March 2025.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 14, 2026
Aetna allegedly submitted erroneous morbid obesity codes that were inconsistent with members’ BMIs from 2018 to 2023.
From Barron's • Mar. 11, 2026
The publicity stunt by the restaurant - called All Hopes No Promises - has led to Toto songwriter David Paich and manager Steven Karas calling the plaque "completely erroneous" and "comical".
From BBC • Feb. 18, 2026
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
They often approached visitors as if they might be deities, possibly calculating, in the spirit of Pascal's wager, that the downside of an erroneous attribution of celestial power was minimal.
From "1491" by Charles C. Mann
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.
