Dictionary

erratically en · ADV

Pronunciation

• /ɪˈɹæt.ɪk.li/ (US)
• (US) audio

Etymology

Etymology tree Classical Latin errāticusbor. Old French erratique Middle French erratiquebor. Classical Latin errāticusbor. Middle English erratik English erratic Proto-Italic *-ālis Latin -ālisbor. Old French -albor. ▲ Latin -ālis Old French -elbor. ▲ Latin -ālisbor. Middle English -al Middle English -ly Middle English -ally English -ally English erratically From erratic + -ally.

Meanings

1. In an erratic manner; unsteadily or randomly, unpredictably.
   • The four-and-one-half-day trial was centered on acts that neither she nor prosecutors dispute: On July 13, 2012, she drove her Lexus S.U.V. erratically after swallowing Zolpidem, a generic form of the sleep medication Ambien. 2014 February 28, Joseph Berger, “Fast Acquittal for Kennedy, Whose Name Put Prosecutors in Bind”, in The New York Times, →ISSN, archived from the original on 28 Aug 2022:
   • Her friends had noticed that Sophia had been behaving erratically over the last few days. Sophia had disclosed that she had bipolar disorder just a few days before, so it was not new, but her friends were still worried. 2026 August 13, Nicholas Muhoro, “Dutch Medical Student Sophia Koetsier Vanished in Uganda in 2015. An Unknown Man’s DNA Was Later Found on Her Clothing”, in Skip Boring, archived from the original on 14 Aug 2026:
   • When I saw the other driver weaving erratically across the road, I decided to keep my distance.

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