errant
adjective
Did you know?
Errant has a split history. It comes from Anglo-French, a language in which two confusingly similar verbs with identical spellings ("errer") coexisted. One errer meant "to err" and comes from the Latin errare, meaning "to wander" or "to err." The second errer meant "to travel," and traces to the Latin iter, meaning "road" or "journey." Both "errer" homographs contributed to the development of "errant," which not surprisingly has to do with both moving about and being mistaken. A "knight-errant" travels around in search of adventures. Cowboys round up "errant calves." An "errant child" is one who misbehaves. (You might also see "arrant" occasionally - it's a word that originated as an alteration of "errant" and that usually means "extreme" or "shameless.")
Synonyms
- bad
- contrary
- froward
- misbehaving
- mischievous
- naughty
Example Sentences
Detroit Free Press, 5 Sep. 2022 Israel says some deaths during this round were caused by errant rocket fire, including one incident in the Jebaliya refugee camp in northern Gaza in which six Palestinians were killed Saturday. Fares Akram And Tia Goldenberg, USA TODAY, 7 Aug. 2022 Israel says some of the deaths during this round were caused by errant rocket fire, including one incident in the Jebaliya refugee camp in northern Gaza in which six Palestinians were killed Saturday. Fares Akram And Tia Goldenberg, The Christian Science Monitor, 7 Aug. 2022 The Palestinian Health Ministry said the blast was caused by an Israeli air-strike, but Israel rejected the claim blaming errant rocket fire. Andrew Carey, CNN, 7 Aug. 2022 Israel says some of the deaths during this round were caused by errant rocket fire, including one incident in the Jebaliya refugee camp in northern Gaza in which six Palestinians were killed Saturday. Fares Akram And Tia Goldenberg, Anchorage Daily News, 7 Aug. 2022 Israel says some of the deaths were caused by errant rocket fire, including one incident in the Jebaliya refugee camp in northern Gaza in which six Palestinians were killed Saturday. CBS News, 7 Aug. 2022 Israel denies this, saying Abu Akleh may have been hit by errant army fire or by one of the Palestinian gunmen who were clashing with its forces. Reuters, NBC News, 3 July 2022 The military, after initially saying Palestinian gunmen might have been responsible, later backtracked and now says she may also have been hit by errant Israeli fire. Josef Federman, BostonGlobe.com, 15 May 2022 See More Word History
Middle English erraunt, from Anglo-French errant, present participle of errer to err & errer to travel, from Late Latin iterare, from Latin iter road, journey — more at itinerant
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2
Phrases Containing errant
Kids Definition
errant
adjective
errant
adjective
Synonyms & Similar Words
- mischievous
- naughty
- bad
- misbehaving
- rebellious
- rude
- wayward
- selfish
- contrary
- childish
- froward
- improper
- wild
- wicked
- immature
- impudent
- recalcitrant
- defiant
- uncontrollable
- unruly
- disobedient
- disrespectful
- juvenile
- obstreperous
- balky
- monkeying
- corrupt
- uncouth
- insolent
- rascally
- indecorous
- impish
- prankish
- ornery
- willful
- roguish
- refractory
- waggish
- unmannerly
- transgressing
- wrongheaded
- intractable
- dissolute
- impolite
- untoward
- headstrong
- evil
- knavish
- rowdy
- mutinous
- thoughtless
- ill-mannered
- wilful
- ungovernable
- disorderly
- elfish
- perverse
- restive
- arch
- inconsiderate
- ruffianly
- insurgent
- unkind
- ill-natured
- infantile
- disobliging
- unkindly
- pixieish
- puerile
- monkeyish
- jejune
- babyish
- kiddish
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- correct
- proper
- dutiful
- orderly
- moral
- nice
- behaved
- obedient
- divine
- respectable
- compliant
- acquiescent
- decent
- clean
- thoughtful
- kindly
- complying
- heavenly
- angelic
- decorous
- courteous
- submissive
- polite
- considerate
- amenable
- cherubic
- behaving
- docile
- mannerly
- amiable
- complaisant
- modest
- tractable
- pleasant
- discreet
- mature
- adult
- angelical
- obliging
- governable
- good-natured
- grown-up
Synonyms & Similar Words
- nomadic
- nomad
- peregrine
- itinerant
- roving
- wandering
- roaming
- peripatetic
- vagrant
- vagabond
- wayfaring
- migrant
- ranging
- gallivanting
- ambulatory
- fugitive
- perambulatory
- galavanting
- ambulant
- migratory
- meandering
- walking
- drifting
- footloose
- on the move
- rambling
- sauntering
- traipsing
- strolling
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- static
- stationary
- standing
- nonmoving
- settled
- immobile
- motionless
- still