erroneous

[ih-roh-nee-uhs, e-roh-]

adjective

1. containing error; mistaken; incorrect; wrong.

   an erroneous answer.

   Synonyms: false, untrue, inaccurate
   Antonyms: accurate

2. straying from what is moral, decent, proper, etc.

erroneous

/ ɪˈrəʊnɪəs /

adjective

1. based on or containing error; mistaken; incorrect

Other Word Forms

• erroneously adverb
• erroneousness noun
• nonerroneous adjective
• nonerroneousness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of erroneous¹

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 )

Word History and Origins

Origin of erroneous¹

C14: (in the sense: deviating from what is right), from Latin errōneus, from errāre to wander

Example Sentences

After she realized her erroneous deployment of the concept, she was given a shot at redemption in the opportunity to carefully consider how to position “Ironic” in the “Jagged Little Pill” Broadway musical.

Read more on Salon

Some were hastily informed that their firings were erroneous, but the experience rattled the CDC, an agency tasked with overseeing the national response to seasonal respiratory illnesses at a time when those illnesses typically spike.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

“For the younger generation in particular, ‘War of Resistance god-tier dramas’ can convey erroneous historical perceptions and values.”

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CFPB, where the court ruled the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s leadership structure was unconstitutional, he articulated his desire to “repudiate” the “erroneous precedent” of Humphrey’s.

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In statement to Variety last week the school’s attorneys said that Phillips and Chaib are attempting “to resuscitate time-barred and erroneous allegations, which were already thoroughly investigated and settled by the Department of Education.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• false 
• faulty 
• flawed 
• inaccurate 
• invalid 
• misguided 
• mistaken 
• specious 
• spurious 
• unfounded 
• unsound 
• untrue