erratic

adjective

i-ˈra-tik How to pronounce erratic (audio)
Definition of erraticnext
1
as in random
lacking a definite plan, purpose, or pattern so far your effort to land a summer job has been very erratic

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in sporadic
lacking in steadiness or regularity of occurrence because of your erratic attendance at practice, you're in danger of being cut from the team

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in changing
not staying constant business at the fast-food restaurant has been so erratic lately that the manager never knows how much staff to have on hand

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4
as in bizarre
different from the ordinary in a way that causes curiosity or suspicion the animal's erratic behavior made her wonder if it was ill

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How is the word erratic distinct from other similar adjectives?

Some common synonyms of erratic are eccentric, odd, outlandish, peculiar, quaint, singular, strange, and unique. While all these words mean "departing from what is ordinary, usual, or to be expected," erratic stresses a capricious and unpredictable wandering or deviating.

a friend's suddenly erratic behavior

When is eccentric a more appropriate choice than erratic?

The words eccentric and erratic are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, eccentric suggests a wide divergence from the usual or normal especially in behavior.

the eccentric eating habits of preschoolers

When can odd be used instead of erratic?

The meanings of odd and erratic largely overlap; however, odd applies to a departure from the regular or expected.

an odd sense of humor

When could outlandish be used to replace erratic?

The words outlandish and erratic can be used in similar contexts, but outlandish applies to what is uncouth, bizarre, or barbaric.

outlandish fashions of the time

Where would peculiar be a reasonable alternative to erratic?

Although the words peculiar and erratic have much in common, peculiar implies a marked distinctiveness.

the peculiar status of America's first lady

In what contexts can quaint take the place of erratic?

While in some cases nearly identical to erratic, quaint suggests an old-fashioned but pleasant oddness.

a quaint fishing village

When might singular be a better fit than erratic?

In some situations, the words singular and erratic are roughly equivalent. However, singular suggests individuality or puzzling strangeness.

a singular feeling of impending disaster

When would strange be a good substitute for erratic?

While the synonyms strange and erratic are close in meaning, strange stresses unfamiliarity and may apply to the foreign, the unnatural, the unaccountable.

a journey filled with strange sights

When is it sensible to use unique instead of erratic?

The synonyms unique and erratic are sometimes interchangeable, but unique implies singularity and the fact of being without a known parallel.

a career unique in the annals of science

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of erratic In the months following the birth of their son, fans and gossip magazines worried about Bieber’s mental health due to an uptick in erratic Instagram posts, mostly of him smoking blunts. —Brittany Spanos, Rolling Stone, 11 July 2025 That all comes against the backdrop of Trump’s erratic trade strategy, which the administration has said will create domestic jobs and create a resurgence in domestic manufacturing. —Meghan Hall, Sourcing Journal, 3 July 2025 Business remains erratic at Carmel’s, a downtown Asheville staple known for Southern comfort food, where servers are struggling to earn a week’s pay over the course of an entire month. —Charlotte Observer, 3 July 2025 China’s export growth has shown some resilience in recent months, even as the erratic U.S. tariff policies disrupted global trade. —Anniek Bao, CNBC, 9 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for erratic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for erratic
  1. random
  2. sporadic
  3. bizarre
  4. occasional
  5. uneven
  6. strange
  7. arbitrary
  8. intermittent
Adjective
  • The program tried to learn from every hand — even the bad hands that were doomed to fail — and ended up making mostly random moves.
    — Andrew Montequin, jsonline.com, 29 July 2025
  • The final product is 12 songs long that turn the focus from random external objects to singer Blair Tramel’s personal experiences in the world.
    — Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 29 July 2025
Definition of random
Adjective
  • However, reaching these outcomes takes more than just sporadic posts.
    — Jonathan Schwartz, Forbes.com, 24 July 2025
  • The monsoon season is now here and has brought deadly flash flooding along old burn scars in Ruidoso, New Mexico, while distributing sporadic rain in the state’s Gila National Forest.
    — Abe Streep, ProPublica, 22 July 2025
Definition of sporadic
Adjective
  • Sony and Microsoft and the PC world can keep playing the cutting-edge hardware competition while Nintendo luxuriates in its bizarre boutique silo, unbothered, moisturized, in its lane, consistently content with winning its own solo race.
    — Mitch Wallace, Forbes.com, 28 July 2025
  • President Donald Trump shared a bizarre meme Saturday morning depicting himself and Vice President JD Vance chasing former President Barack Obama in an altered photo from O.J. Simpson’s infamous white Bronco police chase.
    — Muri Assunção, New York Daily News, 26 July 2025
Definition of bizarre
Adjective
  • Ozzy also did his own occasional tours, including a stop at the Bradley Center on Dec. 14 of that year.
    — Chris Foran, jsonline.com, 23 July 2025
  • The Hunting Wives is led by Margo Banks (Malin Akerman), the wife of a Republican politician who, when not pounding bottles of wine and partaking in the occasional menage a trois, is refining her skills on the gun range.
    — Randall Colburn, EW.com, 22 July 2025
Definition of occasional
Adjective
  • Long runs over uneven, rocky trail comes with its share of foot issues, but few sacrifices are greater than those poor keratin creatures attached to your precious foot fingers.
    — Kade Krichko, Outside Online, 22 July 2025
  • Block is working to reestablish investor confidence after uneven performance from its Cash App business.
    — MacKenzie Sigalos, CNBC, 21 July 2025
Definition of uneven
Adjective
  • His disjointed, dissonant rhythms were his attempt to accompany the chaos — like providing a real-time soundtrack to a strange silent movie.
    — David Kushner, Rolling Stone, 20 July 2025
  • Roman looks for instability in the first stars Perhaps the most exciting cosmic explosion discovery that Roman could make would be the observation of the strange explosive death of the universe's first stars.
    — Robert Lea, Space.com, 20 July 2025
Definition of strange
Adjective
  • The Florida court contrived a weird and arbitrary compromise, granting new sentencing hearings only to death row prisoners whose sentences were considered final after 2002, when the U.S. court issued a decision that was a precursor to Hurst’s.
    — Orlando Sentinel, The Orlando Sentinel, 29 July 2025
  • Ultimately, Bae acknowledges, these classifications are somewhat arbitrary.
    — Cody Cottier, Discover Magazine, 26 July 2025
Definition of arbitrary
Adjective
  • The five-time All-Star reportedly committed to a gluten-free, low-sugar diet that was founded upon intermittent fasting and consuming at least 250 grams of protein daily.
    — Armon Sadler, VIBE.com, 28 July 2025
  • Grid-scale batteries to store renewable energy—an important means of making the intermittent energy supply from sun and wind match times of energy demand—were scarce in 2015.
    — Jeff Young, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 July 2025
Definition of intermittent

Browse Nearby Words

errant
erratic
erratically
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Cite this Entry

“Erratic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/erratic. Accessed 3 Aug. 2025.

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More from Merriam-Webster on erratic

Nglish: Translation of erratic for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about erratic

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