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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
Examples of errant in a Sentence
Erin Parker, Allure, 16 Oct. 2024
With New York second baseman Jeff McNeil sidelined for the season after an errant pitch fractured his wrist and Francisco Lindor resting a minor back injury Saturday, Acuña is getting his first look at the big-league level.
—Dan Schlossberg, Forbes, 14 Sep. 2024
Before an errant missile strikes a ship, every Houthi antiship missile launch should be matched with a U.S. action against Iran.
—Carter Malkasian, Foreign Affairs, 20 Sep. 2024
Carry some extra pairs to throw in the path of any errant steam rollers (hopefully piloted by a masc lesbian), just for added pizzazz.
—Evelyn Bauer, Them, 4 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for errant 
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'errant.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Errant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/errant. Accessed 4 Nov. 2024.
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errant
adjective
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