errant

er·rant
E1R1R1A1N1T1
UK/ˈɛɹ(ə)nt/US/ˈɛɹənt/

adjective

Straying from the proper course or standard, or outside established limits.

“We ran down the street in pursuit of the errant dog.”

Similar
fallibleuncontrolled
OriginMiddle English erraunt ← Anglo-Norman erraunt ← Old French errant →
Less commonScrabble 6
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Meanings

adjectiveerrant (comparative more errant, superlative most errant)

comparative more errant · superlative most errant · alternative arrant · alternative erraunt

  1. Straying from the proper course or standard, or outside established limits.

    It's quite apparent / Your grammar's errant / You're incoherent

    2014, "Weird Al" Yankovic, “Word Crimes”
    2 more examples

    In that there are just seven Planets or errant Stars in the lower Orbs of heaven: but it is now demonstrable unto sense, that there are many more

    1650, Thomas Browne, Pseudodoxia Epidemica: […], 2nd edition, London: […] A[braham] Miller, for Edw[ard] Dod and Nath[aniel] Ekins, […], →OCLC, 6th book, page 244

    They were all doomed to be disappointed, however, for the errant engine decided at Stanley junction to spend the remainder of its crowded hour of freedom on the Aberdeen line, and finally came to rest, short of breath, in the dip between Ballathie and Cargill, near the bridge over the Tay.

    1941 October, “Notes and News: A Highland Runaway”, in Railway Magazine, page 469
  2. Roving around; wandering.
  3. Prone to erring or making errors; misbehaving.

    We ran down the street in pursuit of the errant dog.

  4. obsoleteObsolete form of arrant (“complete; downright, utter”).

    Thy company, if I slept not very well / A nights, would make me an errant fool […]

    1611, Ben[jamin] Jonson, Catiline His Conspiracy, London: […] [William Stansby?] for Walter Burre, →OCLC, (please specify the page)
nounerrant (plural errants)

plural errants

  1. A knight-errant.

Synonyms & antonyms

adjectivestraying from the right course or from accepted standards

Similar
fallible

adjectiveuncontrolled motion that is irregular or unpredictable

Similar
uncontrolled
Also see
aberrantalienbookycuriousdecadentdifferenteeriefalliblefreakfreakyfunnyimmoralmisguidednomadicnoughtoddoffbeatoutlandishprodigiousqueerremarkablereprobateseldstrangeuncontrolleduncouthunethicalunusualweird

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*h₁ers-“to flow”
  2. Latinerrantem
  3. Proto-Indo-European*h₁ey-“to go”
  4. Latiniter“a route (including a journey, trip; a course; a path; a road)”
  5. Vulgar Latiniterāre
  6. Old Frencherrant
  7. Anglo-Normanerraunt
  8. Middle Englisherraunt
  9. Englisherrant

From Middle English erraunt [and other forms], from Anglo-Norman erraunt, from Old French errant, the present participle of errer (“to walk (to); to wander (to); (figuratively) to travel, voyage”), and then: * from Vulgar Latin iterāre (compare Late Latin itinerāre, itinerāri (“to travel, voyage”)), from Latin iter (“a route (including a journey, trip; a course; a path; a road)”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₁ey- (“to go”); and * from Latin errantem, the accusative feminine or masculine singular of errāns (“straying, errant; wandering”), the present active participle of errō (“to rove, wander; to get lost, go astray; to err, wander from the truth”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₁ers- (“to flow”). Doublet of arrant.

More words from Middle English, Anglo-Norman, Old French

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Bulgarian блуждаещ, странстващ
  • блуждаещ (bluždaešt)straying from the proper course or standard
  • странстващ (stranstvašt)travelling in search of adventure
Chinese Mandarin 迷失
  • 迷失 (mishi)straying from the proper course or standard
Czech nezvedený, nezdárný
  • nezvedenýmisbehaving
  • nezdárnýmisbehaving
Dutch dolend
  • dolendstraying from the proper course or standard
French errant
  • errantstraying from the proper course or standard
German errant, fehlgeleitet
  • errantstraying from the proper course or standard
  • fehlgeleitetstraying from the proper course or standard
  • fahrender Rittertravelling in search of adventure
Greek περιπλανώμενος
  • περιπλανώμενος (periplanómenos)straying from the proper course or standard
Hungarian tévelygő, kóbor
  • tévelygőstraying from the proper course or standard
  • kóbortravelling in search of adventure
Italian errante
  • errantestraying from the proper course or standard
Japanese 常識はずれ
  • 常識はずれ (jōshikihazure)straying from the proper course or standard
Korean 편력하는
  • 편력하는 (pyeollyeokhaneun)straying from the proper course or standard
Latin errans
  • erransstraying from the proper course or standard
Polish błędny, wiarołomny
  • błędnystraying from the proper course or standard
  • wiarołomnymisbehaving
  • zbłąkanytravelling in search of adventure
Portuguese errante
  • errantestraying from the proper course or standard
Russian заблу́дший, стра́нствующий
  • заблу́дший (zablúdšij)straying from the proper course or standard
  • стра́нствующий (stránstvujuščij)travelling in search of adventure
  • блужда́ющий (bluždájuščij)travelling in search of adventure
Spanish errante
  • errantestraying from the proper course or standard

Rhymes & wordplay

Sounds the same

arrant (Mary–marry–merry merger)arrant (Mary–marry–merry merger)

Anagrams

terranRatnerranterTarren
Cite this entry
APA

errant. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/errant

MLA

“errant.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/errant. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “errant,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/errant.

Source: errant on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.