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 of errant

• mischievous
• naughty
• bad

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

On his 45th pitch, an errant curveball appeared to squirt out of the righty’s hand, causing pitching coach Ruben Niebla to stir in the dugout. —Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Apr. 2026

And following rest this week, Jared Bednar expects to be cleared to coach after getting struck by an errant puck in the face last Saturday. —Troy Renck, Denver Post, 13 Apr. 2026

DeChambeau’s errant tee shot ended up in the pinestraw under a tree. —Ryan Canfield, FOXNews.com, 11 Apr. 2026

Joe, who had just been called up to the majors, fielded the ball but made an errant throw home, which allowed two runs to score before a Corey Seager sacrifice fly plated the inning’s third run. —Lawrence Dow, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English erraunt "wandering, itinerant, notorious, reprobate," borrowed from Anglo-French errant, present participle of errer "to journey, travel, behave, act, fare" (continental Old French also edrer, esrer) going back to early Medieval Latin iterāre, re-formation (after the base noun iter) of Late Latin itinerārī "to travel"; in sense 1 influenced by Middle French & French errant, present participle of errer "to go off course, be deceived or mistaken," going back to Latin errāre — more at itinerant. err

Note: See also arrant and supplemental note to etymology.

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Phrases Containing errant

• knight-errant

Rhymes for errant

• parent
• aberrant
• apparent
• declarant
• grandparent
• stepparent
• transparent
• semitransparent

Podcast

Get Word of the Day delivered to your inbox!

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