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
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.
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Kelli Bender, PEOPLE, 6 Jan. 2026
The driver was spotted going erratically on Bridge Street and then running a red light on Pearl Street before careening into the brick wall of the school, the official said.
—Mark Prussin, CBS News, 5 Jan. 2026
Witnesses reported that Sanchez had been acting erratically and was armed with a firearm prior to the shooting, according to police.
—Wren Smetana, AZCentral.com, 27 Dec. 2025
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
Court records alleged Bush stepped in front of and pushed an officer who was attempting to arrest another man acting erratically with a gun at a restaurant.
—Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 5 Nov. 2025
Deputies pulled over Bocio in Islamorada after the taxi was seen driving erratically, per Linhardt.
—David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 3 Nov. 2025
The car froze momentarily behind a truck parked illegally, causing other drivers to honk erratically.
—Bloomberg, Mercury News, 14 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for erratically
randomly
Adverb
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When a mysterious and legendary skeleton, badly injured, randomly resurfaced in 2018, an interdisciplinary team of researchers went to work to find out who the person was.—
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The adults were randomly separated into two groups.—
Cite this Entry
“Erratically.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/erratically. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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