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.
Erroneous headlines — such as “Tesla superchargers in California now available for all electric vehicles” — began to appear.
From Los Angeles Times • May 2, 2024
We’ll get to that, but first, here’s a taste of “The Erroneous Predictions Multilith.”
From Washington Post • Sep. 7, 2021
Erroneous notices and confusing letters from the Internal Revenue Service are proving to be as unsettling as waiting for months on end for a tax refund for many taxpayers.
From Seattle Times • Jul. 16, 2021
Erroneous inputs from an angle of attack sensor could put a Max 8 into a rapid descent, Boeing said in an advisory to customers.
From New York Times • Nov. 9, 2018
Here lawns and shades by breezy rivulets fann'd, Here all the Seasons revel hand in hand, —Red stream the cottage lights; the landscape fades, Erroneous wavering mid the twilight shades.
From The Poetical Works of William Wordsworth — Volume 1 by Knight, William
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.
