Something that is erratic does not follow a regular pattern, but happens at unexpected times or moves along in an irregular way.
Argentina's erratic inflation rate threatens to upset the plans.
...the family's erratic affairs.
erratically (ɪrætɪkli)adverb
Police stopped him for driving erratically.
More Synonyms of erratic
erratic in British English
(ɪˈrætɪk)
adjective also: erratical
1.
irregular in performance, behaviour, or attitude; inconsistent and unpredictable
2.
having no fixed or regular course; wandering
noun
3.
a piece of rock that differs in composition, shape, etc, from the rock surrounding it, having been transported from its place of origin, esp by glacial action
4.
an erratic person or thing
Derived forms
erratically (erˈratically)
adverb
Word origin
C14: from Latin errāticus, from errāre to wander, err
erratic in American English
(ɪˈrætɪk)
adjective
1.
having no fixed course or purpose; irregular; random; wandering
2.
deviating from the normal, conventional, or customary course; eccentric; queer
3. Geology
designating a boulder or rock formation transported some distance from its original source, as by a glacier
noun
4.
an erratic person
Derived forms
erratically (erˈratically)
adverb
Word origin
ME erratik < OFr erratique < L erraticus, wandering < pp. of errare: see err
Examples of 'erratic' in a sentence
erratic
But cops had to restrain him due to his erratic behaviour.
The Sun (2016)
His erratic performance at least gave fans something to get worked up about - as there was little else happening.
The Sun (2016)
Her behaviour became very erratic.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
How to explain, then, the surprisingly erratic share price movement?
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
After such an erratic performance, questions were raised about whether the 89 million midfielder can handle the demands of being the centre of such attention.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
Others criticised his erratic course and his opportunism.
Grenville, J. A. S. The Collins History of the World in the 20th Century (1994)
His career has been erratic since and much of the blame for that is down to injuries.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
Her erratic work patterns make life harder.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
Your erratic behaviour is setting them up for potential future misery.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
This week light was shed on the possible reasons behind this erratic display.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
They had grown increasingly fed up with her erratic behaviour.
The Sun (2008)
The singer also displayed erratic behaviour in the daytime before her death.
The Sun (2012)
The pop star had come to look increasingly frail and had long been erratic in his behaviour.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
All this after an highly erratic tactical display in the field.
The Sun (2014)
Dramatic changes in the price of oil are the major reason for the sometimes erratic movement in the share of manufactures.
Forstner, Helmut, Ballance, Robert Competing in a Global Economy (1990)
There is also high political risk resulting from the government's erratic and unpredictable policies.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
The owner's behaviour has become increasingly erratic over the past few weeks.
The Sun (2013)
She became unreliable and missed shows, and when she did appear her performances were often erratic.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
Those who had more erratic eating patterns, were on average more likely to be fat.
The Sun (2013)
He is able but unpredictable, with erratic judgment.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
By 2000 his behaviour had become more erratic and his mother feared that he was hearing voices.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
Still, some women experience increased cramps with periods and erratic bleeding patterns.
Christianity Today (2000)
It looks like more than a sixmonth job after yet another wildly erratic performance which does little to convince you that the worst is over.
The Sun (2015)
It's a fresh muscle so it's not prone to freezing or erratic movements.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
They've become so erratic it's almost criminal.
The Sun (2014)
Stripped of the captaincy, snubbed by his former best pal, he has moved into a realm of deeply erratic form.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
He blamed the erratic share price movements on'third parties and stock promoters with whom we have no connection or involvement '.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
In other languages
erratic
British English: erratic ADJECTIVE
Something that is erratic does not follow a regular pattern, but happens at unexpected times or moves along in an irregular way.
The country's erratic inflation rate threatens to upset the plans.
American English: erratic
Brazilian Portuguese: imprevisível
Chinese: 不规则的
European Spanish: variable
French: irrégulier
German: unberechenbar
Italian: incostante
Japanese: 不規則な
Korean: 변덕스러운
European Portuguese: imprevisível
Latin American Spanish: variable
Chinese translation of 'erratic'
erratic
(ɪˈrætɪk)
adj
[behaviour, progress]不规(規)则(則)的 (bù guīzé de)
1 (adjective)
Definition
irregular or unpredictable
the erratic nature of our recent weather
Synonyms
unpredictable
Britain's notoriously unpredictable weather
variable
Weather conditions are variable and change from day to day.
unstable
He was emotionally unstable.
irregular
She was suffering from an irregular heartbeat.
shifting
eccentric
an eccentric character who wears a beret and sunglasses
abnormal
a child with an abnormal fear of strangers
inconsistent
You are inconsistent and unpredictable.
uneven
He could hear that her breathing was uneven.
unreliable
She had proved to be an unreliable witness and had lied to police.
wayward
wayward children with a history of behavioural problems
capricious
capricious mood swings
desultory
We made some desultory conversation while we waited for the bus.
changeable
He was a man of changeable moods.
The forecast is for changeable weather.
aberrant
His rages and aberrant behaviour worsened.
fitful
He drifted off into a fitful sleep.
inconstant
Opposites
certain
,
natural
,
straight
,
normal
,
regular
,
stable
,
constant
,
steady
,
consistent
,
reliable
,
predictable
,
dependable
,
unchanging
,
invariable
,
undeviating
2 (adjective)
gleaming balls of light, darting about the sky in erratic movement
Synonyms
wandering
planetary
meandering
We crossed a meandering stream.
directionless
Additional synonyms
in the sense of aberrant
Definition
not normal, accurate, or correct
His rages and aberrant behaviour worsened.
Synonyms
abnormal,
odd,
strange,
extraordinary,
wandering,
curious,
weird,
peculiar,
eccentric,
straying,
queer (archaic),
irregular,
rambling,
erratic,
deviant (old-fashioned),
defective,
off-the-wall (slang),
oddball (informal),
divergent,
anomalous,
untypical,
wacko (slang, old-fashioned),
outré,
daggy (Australian, New Zealand, informal)
in the sense of abnormal
Definition
differing from the usual or typical
a child with an abnormal fear of strangers
Synonyms
unusual,
different,
odd,
strange,
surprising,
out there (slang),
extraordinary,
remarkable,
bizarre,
unexpected,
curious,
weird,
exceptional,
peculiar,
eccentric,
unfamiliar,
queer,
irregular,
phenomenal,
uncommon,
erratic,
monstrous,
singular,
unnatural,
deviant (old-fashioned),
unconventional,
off-the-wall (slang),
oddball (informal),
out of the ordinary,
left-field (informal),
anomalous,
atypical,
aberrant,
untypical,
wacko (slang, old-fashioned),
outré,
daggy (Australian, New Zealand, informal)
in the sense of capricious
Definition
having a tendency to sudden unpredictable changes of attitude or behaviour