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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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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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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of erratic
And the erratic way the president rolled out his tariffs — announcing them, then suspending or altering them before conjuring up new ones — made 2025 one of the most turbulent economic years in recent memory.
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Wyatte Grantham-Philips, Fortune, 26 Dec. 2025
That panic could theoretically lead to erratic play.
—Tony Catalina, Austin American Statesman, 25 Dec. 2025
For eight years, Uranus in Taurus activated your communication and erratic spending tendencies, sometimes scattering your focus or creating unexpected financial fluctuations.
—Dossé-Via Trenou, Refinery29, 23 Dec. 2025
The Broncos showed that an erratic Bo Nix cannot bail out a defense that allowed four red zone touchdowns.
—Troy Renck, Denver Post, 22 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for erratic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for erratic
Adjective
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Even more striking, the gas moved in a very orderly and coherent way, with far less random motion than the surrounding stars.—
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Not random or easily forgotten.—
Adjective
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The study made a significant contribution, if not clarification, to this academic niche — medieval migration wasn’t seasonal, nor sporadic and intense.—
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Trying to keep up with tariff news, especially as a consumer who isn't necessarily an expert in economic policy, can feel like dodging sporadic jump scares.—
Adjective
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In some studies, gloves not changed between tasks had higher bacterial counts and could transfer germs just as easily as ungloved hands, underscoring the need for frequent changing and proper hand hygiene.—
Adjective
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His work is marked by unusual, even bizarre, material choices that encrust spatial compositions reminiscent of Frank Lloyd Wright’s innovative open space plans.—
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Some unnamed Chicago bartender in the early 1880s had the improbable idea of taking a Whiskey Sour and adding a little red wine to the top, inventing in a bizarre flash of insightone of the great warm weather whiskey drinks of our time.—
Adjective
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Its fractured, scattered form, grasping for structure instead of pretending to master it, is an attempt to build a future that will include both author and reader.—
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On Sunday, rain will pick up across the Midwest from Kansas and Missouri through Ohio and Pennsylvania while scattered thunderstorms are possible from Arkansas up to Ohio, with some possibly strong enough to bring gusty winds and maybe an isolated tornado.—
Adjective
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These include electric vehicles with extended driving ranges, large-scale renewable energy storage systems that can balance intermittent solar and wind power, and lightweight, flexible power sources for portable and wearable electronics.—
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Countries also need to work on better connecting intermittent renewables — those which work only when the sun shines or the wind blows — with batteries that can store their energy.—
Adjective
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Future work will focus on integrating snow-deposition modeling with PV yield simulations to more accurately predict energy losses and on expanding analyses to more complex, uneven alpine terrain.—
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The Trojans' uneven season hasn't exactly helped slow rumors either.—
Adjective
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The sounds had become a strange new normal for the diverse Central neighborhood.—
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And there was a strange preoccupation with running out of time, even though the show ended a good 15 minutes early as if the performers didn’t understand their own timeline.—
Cite this Entry
“Erratic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/erratic. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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