adjective
-
archaic wandering in search of adventure
-
erring or straying from the right course or accepted standards
Other Word Forms
- errantly adverb
- nonerrant adjective
- nonerrantly adverb
- unerrant adjective
- unerrantly adverb
Etymology
Origin of errant
1300–50; Middle English erraunt < Middle French, Old French errant, present participle of errer, edrer to travel < Vulgar Latin *iterāre to journey, for Late Latin itinerārī, derivative of iter, stem itiner- journey ( itinerary ); confused with Middle French errant, present participle of errer to err
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.
And if AI agents are not kept on course by a human, they could misunderstand an instruction and wander down an errant processing path, resulting in a business paying for wasted computing power.
From Barron's • Mar. 30, 2026
Bradley, Bryant wrote, directed “comprehensive lookbacks” on civilian casualties in errant strikes and used the findings to mandate changes.
From Salon • Mar. 11, 2026
It isn’t just an errant prince, the critics say, but a former Labour cabinet member, Peter Mandelson, who has had his collar felt by the law.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 23, 2026
Indeed, at one stage, she battered her brush off the side of the sheet after an errant throw as the sibling bonds between her and partner Rasmus began to fray.
From BBC • Feb. 6, 2026
The possible variations for errant beats multiplied rapidly and unpredictably.
From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall
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.
