erratic

[ih-rat-ik] / ɪˈræt ɪk /

ADJECTIVE

unpredictable; wandering

Synonyms

STRONGEST

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

WEAK

aberrant anomalous changeable desultory devious dicey directionless dubious fitful flaky fluctuant idiosyncratic iffy incalculable inconstant meandering nomadic oddball peculiar planetary rambling roving shifting spasmodic strange stray undirected unnatural vagarious variable

Antonyms

STRONGEST

calm common normal reasonable regular sensible stable standard steadfast steady unchanging usual

WEAK

certain consistent definite dependable predictable reliable sure

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.

With high noise, their paths became erratic and inefficient.

From Science Daily • Apr. 15, 2026

Climate change is wreaking havoc on agriculture, bringing stronger storms, longer droughts, erratic rainfall and rising temperatures.

From Salon • Apr. 11, 2026

Boyd frequently posted videos of erratic drivers on social media, but he testified at the hearing that he didn’t record them with the tablet.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 5, 2026

Meanwhile, the 2025 novel “Unfit” by Ariana Harwicz, about a mother losing her children in a custody battle, uses erratic crayon scribbles on its cover.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 16, 2026

During one collaboration, he and Philip Abelson were bedeviled by the erratic performance of an ionization chamber until Abelson noticed that its behavior corresponded to Kamen’s wanderings around the room.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik

Vocabulary lists containing erratic

To Kill a Mockingbird

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List 1

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"To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee, Chapters 1–6

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