erratic
/ɪˈɹætɪk/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: 3.34 in modern English
9
Scrabble Score
7
Letters
3
Syllables
6
Unique Chars
Meaning
adj
Unsteady, random; prone to unexpected changes; not consistent.
noun
Anything that has erratic characteristics.
Example Sentences
- "Henry has been getting erratic scores on his tests: 40% last week, but 98% this week."
- "When we found you on the street, your behavior was all erratic and it seemed like you were having a panic attack."
- "The V-2's directional system was notoriously erratic. In May 1947, a V-2 launched from White Sands Proving Ground headed south instead of north, missing downtown Juarez, Mexico, by 3 miles."
- "erratic conduct"
- "Investigators were careful not to rule out Bryce’s erratic behaviour in his final days, including the giveaways, the sudden breakup, and the hours spent parked by the side of the freeway. These factors pointed to a mental health crisis severe enough that he wanted to disappear."
- "The term for a displaced boulder is an erratic, but in the nineteenth century the expression seemed to apply more often to the theories than to the rocks."
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₁ers- Proto-Indo-European *h₁ers-eh₂-yé-ti Proto-Italic *erzāō Latin errō Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-tós Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂tos Proto-Italic *-ātos Latin -ātus Proto-Indo-European *-ikos Proto-Italic *-ikos Latin -icus Latin -āticus Classical Latin errāticusbor. Old French erratique Middle French erratiquebor. ▲ Classical Latin errāticusbor. Middle English erratik English erratic From Middle English erratik, from Middle French erratique (from Old French erratique) and its etymon Classical Latin errāticus.
Origin
Word Breakdown
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ɪˈɹætɪk/
- British English: /ɪˈɹætɪk/
Inflected Forms
more erratic (comparative)
most erratic (superlative)
erratick (alternative)
erraticke (alternative)
erratique (alternative)
erratics (plural)