errant

adjective

er·​rant ˈer-ənt 

ˈe-rənt

1

a

: behaving wrongly

an errant child

b

: straying outside the proper path or bounds

an errant calf

c

: moving about aimlessly or irregularly

an errant breeze

d

: fallible

2

: traveling or given to traveling

an errant knight

errant noun

errantly adverb

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

Examples of errant in a Sentence

The teacher blamed the prank on errant students.

the errant gunslinger as a standard character in western novels

Recent Examples on the Web

An errant social media post from Trump was sufficient to move the conversation of the entire primary field, and most of the Trump-free debates still started with questions about his campaign. —Philip Elliott, TIME, 6 Dec. 2024

In Douglass’ overtime possession, an errant pitch by quarterback Che’ Pinkney resulted in a scramble for the ball and a 17-yard loss to the 27, and the Eagles never got closer than the 16. —Glenn Graham, Baltimore Sun, 30 Nov. 2024

Think of all the errant post-entry passes that sail out of bounds or get picked off by an opponent. —Sabreena Merchant, The Athletic, 25 Nov. 2024

Then, our hero (played by Anthony Edwards) discovers from an errant pay-phone call that nuclear war has started. —Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 19 July 2024

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Phrases Containing errant

• knight-errant

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Kids Definition

errant

adjective

er·​rant ˈer-ənt 

1

a

: moving around from place to place without apparent purpose or goal

b

: wandering in search of adventure

an errant knight

2

a

: straying outside proper bounds

an errant calf

b

: behaving or having behaved badly or wrongfully

errantry

-ən-trē

noun