erratic
Without clear pattern
Erratic describes movement or behavior that is irregular, unpredictable, or inconsistent: erratic driving, erratic mood swings, The stock has been erratic all week.
The word implies deviation from a steady or expected pattern—not merely unusual, but varying without apparent logic.
In geology, an erratic is a boulder transported by glacial ice and deposited far from its origin.
Cannot be anticipated
- mercurialProne to sudden change
- volatileLiable to sudden change
- temperamentalEasily upset, unpredictable
- fickleErratically disloyal in affection
whimsical · impulsive · changeable · inconstant · moody · wayward · skittish · flighty
Not arranged neatly
- unpredictableCannot be anticipated
- turbulentViolently agitated or disturbed
- confusedUnable to understand
- disorganizedLacking systematic arrangement
jumbled · disarray · uncontrolled · messy · haphazard · helter-skelter · disordered · unsystematic
Tending to teeter
- shakyTrembling or unstable
- unsteadyLacking balance or stability
- lurchingMoving unsteadily, abruptly
- waveringShowing unsteady resolve
veering · swerving · zigzagging · wandering · meandering · weaving · tottering · staggering
Departing from standard practice
- idiosyncraticDistinctively individual in nature
- quirkyIdiosyncratically unusual
- oddballEccentric individual
- unpredictableCannot be anticipated
offbeat · anomalous · deviant · nonconformist · singular · unusual · wayward · unorthodox
Occurring at irregular intervals
- irregularDeviating from normal patterns
- infrequentHappening only occasionally
- occasionalHappening at intervals
- scatteredSpread irregularly about
patchy · episodic · discontinuous · fitful · spasmodic · haphazard · desultory · on-and-off
unpredictable
Cannot be anticipated
- mercurialProne to sudden change
- volatileLiable to sudden change
- temperamentalEasily upset, unpredictable
fickle · whimsical · impulsive · changeable · inconstant · moody · wayward · skittish · flighty · arbitrary
disorderly
Not arranged neatly
- unpredictableCannot be anticipated
- turbulentViolently agitated or disturbed
- confusedUnable to understand
disorganized · jumbled · disarray · uncontrolled · messy · haphazard · helter-skelter · disordered · unsystematic · random
wobbly
Tending to teeter
wavering · veering · swerving · zigzagging · wandering · meandering · weaving · tottering · staggering · careening
unconventional
Departing from standard practice
- idiosyncraticDistinctively individual in nature
- quirkyIdiosyncratically unusual
- oddballEccentric individual
unpredictable · offbeat · anomalous · deviant · nonconformist · singular · unusual · wayward · unorthodox · peculiar
intermittent
Occurring at irregular intervals
- irregularDeviating from normal patterns
- infrequentHappening only occasionally
- occasionalHappening at intervals
scattered · patchy · episodic · discontinuous · fitful · spasmodic · haphazard · desultory · on-and-off · uneven
boulder
Large weathered stone
deposit · strewn · scattered · transported · granite · displaced · till · outwash
- handwritingcursive, block letters, penmanship, print letters, legible
- instabilityinstability, unsteadiness, shakiness, wobbliness, precariousness
- breathingbreathing, inhalation, breath, exhalation, breathe
- behaviorshabit, aggressive, agitation, conduct, passive
- chaosmayhem, chaotic, pandemonium, bedlam, turmoil
- malfunctionsbroken, defective, glitch, faulty, malfunction
erraticsteady
Fixed, not fluctuating
consistent · regular · predictable · constant · uniform
erraticreliable
Consistently performing as expected
dependable · steady · trustworthy · consistent · sure
erraticsystematic
Following ordered procedures
methodical · orderly · organized · structured · disciplined
- erratic behaviorUnpredictable, inconsistent conduct
- glacial erraticIce-carried misplaced rock