erratic

[ ih-rat-ik ]

adjective

1. deviating from the usual or proper course in conduct or opinion; eccentric:

   erratic behavior.

   Synonyms: capricious, unstable, unpredictable

   Antonyms: stable, regular, consistent

2. inconsistent, irregular, or unpredictable:

   Many factors affect purchasing power, such as inflation and erratic swings in the stock market.

3. having no certain or definite course or pattern; wandering; not fixed:

   erratic winds.

4. Geology. noting or pertaining to a boulder or the like carried by glacial ice and deposited some distance from its place of origin.
5. (of a lichen) having no attachment to the surface on which it grows.

noun

1. an erratic or eccentric person.
2. Geology. an erratic boulder or the like.

erratic

/ ɪˈrætɪk /

adjective

1. irregular in performance, behaviour, or attitude; inconsistent and unpredictable
2. having no fixed or regular course; wandering

noun

1. 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
2. an erratic person or thing

Derived Forms

• erˈratically, adverb

Other Words From

• er·rat·i·cal·ly adverb
• er·rat·i·cism noun
• non·er·rat·ic adjective noun
• un·er·rat·ic adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of erratic¹

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English, from Latin errāticus, equivalent to errāt(us) (past participle of errāre “to make a mistake, err” ( err ) + -icus -ic

Word History and Origins

Origin of erratic¹

C14: from Latin errāticus, from errāre to wander, err

Example Sentences

He's always been hateful and erratic, and it's clearly getting worse as he approaches 80 years old.

From Salon

Water pressure in some areas also became erratic, forcing crews to shuttle water up to some key positions in the firefight — though it is still not clear what effect that might have had.

From Los Angeles Times

Despite Richardson’s erratic behavior, sheriff’s deputies at the station had “no legal justification to deprive her of her freedom,” according to the report.

From Los Angeles Times

More tellingly still, historian Christopher R. Browning, writing in the New York Review of Books, describes how wealthy, reactionary German elites anticipated that they'd be able to profit from, but also control, Adolf Hitler’s alarming if erratic demagoguery.

From Salon

That testimony came after publication of the book “Peril” — by reporters Bob Woodward and Robert Costa — which said that Milley was worried at the time about the potential for erratic behavior by the departing president.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• abnormal
• arbitrary
• bizarre
• capricious
• eccentric
• inconsistent
• irregular
• mercurial
• uncertain
• unreliable
• unstable
• unusual
• volatile
• wayward
• weird
• whimsical