erratic
adjective
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Definition of erratic
(Entry 1 of 2)
erratic
nounDefinition of erratic (Entry 2 of 2)
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Other Words from erratic
Adjective
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adjective
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adverb
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noun
Synonyms & Antonyms for erratic
Synonyms: Adjective
aimless, arbitrary, catch-as-catch-can, desultory, haphazard, helter-skelter, hit-or-miss, random, scattered, slapdash, stray
Antonyms: Adjective
methodical (also methodic), nonrandom, orderly, organized, regular, systematic, systematized
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Examples of erratic in a Sentence
Adjective
My sinker has been my most erratic pitch. And when your foundation pitch is lacking, you have to go to other pitches. My sinker has been in and out, but mostly out. — Orel Hershiser, in New York Times, 9 May 1999 In winning his two-month match in Yugoslavia against Boris Spassky, 10 games to five, Bobby Fischer was erratic, which was hardly surprising considering his two-decade layoff, but there were times when he played more brilliantly than anybody could have expected. — Sports Illustrated, 16 Nov. 1992 Over the centuries, in erratic ways, men have constructed a world in which they are relatively free of many kinds of threatening or harmful stimuli … — B. F. Skinner, Beyond Freedom and Dignity, (1971) 1972 so far your effort to land a summer job has been very erratic because of your erratic attendance at practice, you're in danger of being cut from the team
Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective
The erratic passes did Carmelo Anthony zero favors; ditto for Victor Oladipo. — Michael Shapiro, SI.com, "How Can Giannis Antetokounmpo Rise From MVP to Champion in 2020?," 3 Sep. 2019 But, Nevin said a lot of the multifamily market can appear erratic because hundreds of building permits can be pulled at one time for a single project. — San Diego Union-Tribune, "San Diego home building continues to plummet. Biggest drop in SoCal.," 3 Sep. 2019 Congress must urgently reassert its constitutional powers before Trump's erratic behavior ruins the US and world economy and further endangers the planet both environmentally and diplomatically. — Jeffrey Sachs For Cnn Business Perspectives, CNN, "Trump is smashing the rules of global trade while Congress stays silent," 28 Aug. 2019 Her confrontational run-ins with a neighbor, unwitting involvement in a Russian identity-theft ring, and generally erratic behaviors are the fault of her artistic temperament. — Maya Phillips, The New Yorker, "“Where’d You Go, Bernadette” and the False Dream That Art Will Fulfill You," 22 Aug. 2019 The man’s smile vanished, replaced by strange behavior and erratic driving. — Brooke Baitinger, sun-sentinel.com, "Man who chased down kidnap suspect tells how boy jumped from moving truck," 22 Aug. 2019 Red dwarfs are by far the most common stars in the Milky Way, but their planets may have a hard time holding onto an atmosphere, in part because these somewhat erratic stars subject them to powerful blasts of radiation. — Daniel Clery, Science | AAAS, "This rocky ‘super-Earth’ may be a hard place for life to get a foothold," 19 Aug. 2019 Cruise missiles can fly along low, erratic paths capable of skirting those defences. — The Economist, "An accident in Russia points to the risks of atomic aviation," 15 Aug. 2019 Her ability to maintain control while Kelly grew increasingly upset and erratic went viral and won her millions of fans. — Robyn Merrett, PEOPLE.com, "Besties Oprah Winfrey and Gayle King Hilariously Guess the Meaning of Today's Slang Words," 13 Aug. 2019Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
One of the biggest boulders is now enshrined at the Erratic Rock State Natural Site in McMinnville, a small state park that aims to educate visitors about these odd erratics. — Jamie Hale, OregonLive.com, "Erratic Rock a small reminder of the big floods that shaped Oregon," 6 June 2017 Erratics are also found in the Columbia River Gorge. — Jamie Hale, OregonLive.com, "Erratic Rock a small reminder of the big floods that shaped Oregon," 6 June 2017These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'erratic.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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