erratic
1 of 2adjective
er·rat·ic i-ˈra-tik 
1
: having no fixed course : wandering
an erratic comet
2
a
: characterized by lack of consistency, regularity, or uniformity
erratic dieting
keeps erratic hours
b
: deviating from what is ordinary or standard : eccentric
an erratic genius
3
: transported from an original resting place especially by a glacier
an erratic boulder
4
archaic : nomadic
erratical
i-ˈra-ti-kəl
adjective erratically
i-ˈra-ti-k(ə-)lē
adverb erraticism
i-ˈra-tə-ˌsi-zəm
noun erratic
2 of 2noun
: one that is erratic (see erratic entry 1)
especially : a boulder or block of rock transported from its original resting place especially by a glacier
Did you know?
Erratic can refer to literal "wandering". A missile that loses its guidance system may follow an erratic path, and a river with lots of twists and bends is said to have an erratic course. Erratic can also mean "inconsistent" or "irregular". So a stock market that often changes direction is said to be acting erratically; an erratic heartbeat can be cause for concern; and if your car idles erratically it may mean that something's wrong with the spark-plug wiring.
Synonyms
Adjective
- aimless
- arbitrary
- catch-as-catch-can
- desultory
- haphazard
- helter-skelter
- hit-or-miss
- random
- scattered
- slapdash
- stray
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
Adjective My sinker has been my most erratic pitch. And when your foundation pitch is lacking, you have to go to other pitches. My sinker has been in and out, but mostly out. 
Orel Hershiser, in New York Times, 9 May 1999 In winning his two-month match in Yugoslavia against Boris Spassky, 10 games to five, Bobby Fischer was erratic, which was hardly surprising considering his two-decade layoff, but there were times when he played more brilliantly than anybody could have expected. Sports Illustrated, 16 Nov. 1992 Over the centuries, in erratic ways, men have constructed a world in which they are relatively free of many kinds of threatening or harmful stimuli … B. F. Skinner, Beyond Freedom and Dignity, (1971) 1972 so far your effort to land a summer job has been very erratic because of your erratic attendance at practice, you're in danger of being cut from the team
Orel Hershiser, in New York Times, 9 May 1999 In winning his two-month match in Yugoslavia against Boris Spassky, 10 games to five, Bobby Fischer was erratic, which was hardly surprising considering his two-decade layoff, but there were times when he played more brilliantly than anybody could have expected. Sports Illustrated, 16 Nov. 1992 Over the centuries, in erratic ways, men have constructed a world in which they are relatively free of many kinds of threatening or harmful stimuli … B. F. Skinner, Beyond Freedom and Dignity, (1971) 1972 so far your effort to land a summer job has been very erratic because of your erratic attendance at practice, you're in danger of being cut from the team Recent Examples on the Web CBS News, 16 Sep. 2022 At Rady Shell concerts this year, the amplification has been erratic at times, but whoever ran the board on Friday did a great job. San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Aug. 2022 From erratic behavior that led hundreds of ex-national security officials to support the first impeachment inquiry to flagrant inaction on Jan. 6, 2021, Trump had an unwavering commitment to himself above all else. Stephanie Grisham And Gavin J. Smith, CNN, 17 Aug. 2022 The suspect, identified as Caren Satterfield, 47, entered the store and started displaying erratic behavior, Officer Annie Hernandez said. Itzel Luna, Los Angeles Times, 16 Aug. 2022 Behavior of students, and parents, erratic behavior of other drivers on the road and the allure of driving for Amazon -- where a driver is not working a split shift --are taking drivers away. Brenda Cain, cleveland, 13 Aug. 2022 If that help happens, Miller, who goes by they/them pronouns, could give an interview at some point explaining their erratic behavior over the past few years. Pamela Mcclintock, The Hollywood Reporter, 11 Aug. 2022 Heche’s Friday crash wasn’t her first public incident of erratic behavior. Tribune News Service, oregonlive, 11 Aug. 2022 The actor's felony charge is the latest in a string of legal troubles and reports of erratic behavior. Landon Mion, Fox News, 9 Aug. 2022 Nickole Kerner Bobley, Houston Chronicle, 25 Apr. 2020 One of the biggest boulders is now enshrined at the Erratic Rock State Natural Site in McMinnville, a small state park that aims to educate visitors about these odd erratics. Jamie Hale, OregonLive.com, 6 June 2017 Erratics are also found in the Columbia River Gorge. Jamie Hale, OregonLive.com, 6 June 2017 See More
Adjective
His attorneys' theme throughout their case has been to show how his birth mother's alcohol abuse during pregnancy put him onto a lifelong path of erratic, bizarre and often violent behavior that culminated in the shootings. CBS News, 16 Sep. 2022 At Rady Shell concerts this year, the amplification has been erratic at times, but whoever ran the board on Friday did a great job. San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Aug. 2022 From erratic behavior that led hundreds of ex-national security officials to support the first impeachment inquiry to flagrant inaction on Jan. 6, 2021, Trump had an unwavering commitment to himself above all else. Stephanie Grisham And Gavin J. Smith, CNN, 17 Aug. 2022 The suspect, identified as Caren Satterfield, 47, entered the store and started displaying erratic behavior, Officer Annie Hernandez said. Itzel Luna, Los Angeles Times, 16 Aug. 2022 Behavior of students, and parents, erratic behavior of other drivers on the road and the allure of driving for Amazon -- where a driver is not working a split shift --are taking drivers away. Brenda Cain, cleveland, 13 Aug. 2022 If that help happens, Miller, who goes by they/them pronouns, could give an interview at some point explaining their erratic behavior over the past few years. Pamela Mcclintock, The Hollywood Reporter, 11 Aug. 2022 Heche’s Friday crash wasn’t her first public incident of erratic behavior. Tribune News Service, oregonlive, 11 Aug. 2022 The actor's felony charge is the latest in a string of legal troubles and reports of erratic behavior. Landon Mion, Fox News, 9 Aug. 2022 Noun
Speidel was inspired to create these artworks from her fascination with glacial erratics, a type of rock that once was carried inside glacial ice and traveled hundreds of miles sometimes across thousands of years to its current resting spot. Nickole Kerner Bobley, Houston Chronicle, 25 Apr. 2020 One of the biggest boulders is now enshrined at the Erratic Rock State Natural Site in McMinnville, a small state park that aims to educate visitors about these odd erratics. Jamie Hale, OregonLive.com, 6 June 2017 Erratics are also found in the Columbia River Gorge. Jamie Hale, OregonLive.com, 6 June 2017 See More Word History
Etymology
Adjective and Noun
Middle English, from Latin erraticus, from erratus, past participle of errare — see err
First Known Use
Adjective
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Noun
circa 1623, in the meaning defined above
Kids Definition
erratic
adjective
er·rat·ic i-ˈra-tik
: not consistent or regular
erratic behavior
erratic movements
Medical Definition
erratic
adjective
er·rat·ic ir-ˈat-ik
1
: characterized by lack of consistency, regularity, or uniformity
an erratic pulse
2
: deviating from what is ordinary or standard
erratically
adverb
as in randomly
without definite aim, direction, rule, or method the police officer pulled over the driver, who had been spotted driving very erratically Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- randomly
- irregularly
- haphazardly
- aimlessly
- haphazard
- casually
- desultorily
- at random
- capriciously
- anyway
- informally
- willy-nilly
- arbitrarily
- intermittently
- unpredictably
- carelessly
- indiscriminately
- whimsically
- promiscuously
- fitfully
- anywise
- unconsciously
- accidentally
- anyhow
- unintentionally
- inadvertently
- helter-skelter
- hit or miss
- unwittingly
- offhandedly
- fortuitously
- offhand
- disjointedly
- disconnectedly
- spottily
- higgledy-piggledy
- topsy-turvy
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- systematically
- methodically
- carefully
- deliberately
- orderly
- intentionally
- formally
- gingerly
- purposefully
- meticulously
- purposely
- punctiliously