as in randomly
without definite aim, direction, rule, or method
the police officer pulled over the driver, who had been spotted driving very erratically
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Recent Examples of erratically
According to the District Attorney’s Office, Camacho was acting erratically and resisting the deputies, prompting them to use a WRAP device to restrain her.
—
Alex Riggins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Jan. 2026
The California Highway Patrol's North Sacramento division said one car was being driven erratically, seemingly doing donuts, when the driver crashed into five parked cars.
—Richard Ramos, CBS News, 23 Jan. 2026
Watch for battery swelling If your trackpad suddenly feels stiff, won’t click normally, or behaves erratically, check the bottom of the laptop.
—Ken Colburn, AZCentral.com, 19 Jan. 2026
Regulators say that many Tesla drivers involved in crashes said the cars gave them no warning before behaving erratically.
—Austin American Statesman, 16 Jan. 2026
The footage shows the fish start to swim faster and more erratically when a large whale suddenly breaks through the school of fish with its gaping maw.
—Kelli Bender, PEOPLE, 6 Jan. 2026
Infected deer are often emaciated, act erratically, lose bodily functions and become weak and die, the agency said.
—Kirsten Fiscus, Nashville Tennessean, 3 Dec. 2025
This rapid warming disrupts normal wind patterns, ultimately weakening the polar vortex and allowing the jet stream to move more erratically.
—Anna Skinner, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Nov. 2025
Alex Riggins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Jan. 2026
The California Highway Patrol's North Sacramento division said one car was being driven erratically, seemingly doing donuts, when the driver crashed into five parked cars.
—Richard Ramos, CBS News, 23 Jan. 2026
Watch for battery swelling If your trackpad suddenly feels stiff, won’t click normally, or behaves erratically, check the bottom of the laptop.
—Ken Colburn, AZCentral.com, 19 Jan. 2026
Regulators say that many Tesla drivers involved in crashes said the cars gave them no warning before behaving erratically.
—Austin American Statesman, 16 Jan. 2026
The footage shows the fish start to swim faster and more erratically when a large whale suddenly breaks through the school of fish with its gaping maw.
—Kelli Bender, PEOPLE, 6 Jan. 2026
Infected deer are often emaciated, act erratically, lose bodily functions and become weak and die, the agency said.
—Kirsten Fiscus, Nashville Tennessean, 3 Dec. 2025
This rapid warming disrupts normal wind patterns, ultimately weakening the polar vortex and allowing the jet stream to move more erratically.
—Anna Skinner, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for erratically
randomly
Adverb
-
This is the first evidence that this quark-gluon plasma reacts to particles speeding through it in the same way that liquid does, splashing and rippling, acting as a single unified liquid rather than randomly scattering as individual particles would.—
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
30 Jan. 2026
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After being randomly split into two groups, they are tasked with creating a dessert that is centered around flavor profiles that test one of the four tastes—sweet, salty, sour, or bitter—combined with a specific texture.—
Jennifer Maas,
Variety,
30 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Erratically.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/erratically. Accessed 2 Feb. 2026.
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