erroneous
adjective
er·ro·ne·ous
i-ˈrō-nē-əs 
e-
1
2
archaic
: wandering
erroneously
adverb
erroneousness
noun
Did you know?
How to Define Erroneous
Erroneous basically means "containing errors", and, since most of us are constantly suffering from mistaken notions, the word is often used in front of words such as "assumption" and "idea". It's also used to describe the kind of mistaken information that can lead to erroneous theories, erroneous conclusions, and erroneous decisions.
Examples of erroneous in a Sentence
When you're done, the programs scour your return for potential problems and erroneous data and let you correct them. Then, poof! Either print out your 1040 and related documents or follow the software prompts to file electronically.
—
Kathy Yakal, PC Magazine, 9 Mar. 1999
Here we come face-to-face with the uncompromising rules of golf as Mr. Dobereiner recounts how Roberto de Vincenzo lost the 1968 Masters Tournament by a single stroke because he signed an erroneous scorecard.
—Robert R. Harris, New York Times Book Review, 21 Oct. 1984
To say truth, nothing is more erroneous than the common observation, that men who are ill-natured and quarrelsome when they are drunk, are very worthy persons when they are sober: for drink, in reality, doth not reverse nature, or create passions in men which did not exist in them before.
—Henry Fielding, Tom Jones, 1749
a poorly researched news article about the new virus that was filled with much erroneous information
Kathy Yakal, PC Magazine, 9 Mar. 1999
Here we come face-to-face with the uncompromising rules of golf as Mr. Dobereiner recounts how Roberto de Vincenzo lost the 1968 Masters Tournament by a single stroke because he signed an erroneous scorecard.
—Robert R. Harris, New York Times Book Review, 21 Oct. 1984
To say truth, nothing is more erroneous than the common observation, that men who are ill-natured and quarrelsome when they are drunk, are very worthy persons when they are sober: for drink, in reality, doth not reverse nature, or create passions in men which did not exist in them before.
—Henry Fielding, Tom Jones, 1749
a poorly researched news article about the new virus that was filled with much erroneous information
Recent Examples on the Web
Still, Abrego Garcia’s deportation to El Salvador was erroneous, the government said.
—Ashley Oliver, The Washington Examiner, 30 Apr. 2025
There’s a chance the erroneous WinRE error might be a little persistent.
—Zak Doffman, Forbes.com, 17 Apr. 2025
The erroneous alerts, which affected recipients of Supplemental Security Income (SSI) came during a series of website outages tied to internal agency upheaval and untested system changes, according to The Washington Post.
—Gordon G. Chang, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Apr. 2025
Smartmatic was frequently mentioned when Trump’s lawyers Rudy Giuliani and Sidney Powell appeared as guests on Fox News and Fox Business Network programs in late 2020 and spread Trump’s erroneous charges that voting machines were rigged to throw the election to Joe Biden.
—Stephen Battaglio, Los Angeles Times, 30 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for erroneous
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Ashley Oliver, The Washington Examiner, 30 Apr. 2025
There’s a chance the erroneous WinRE error might be a little persistent.
—Zak Doffman, Forbes.com, 17 Apr. 2025
The erroneous alerts, which affected recipients of Supplemental Security Income (SSI) came during a series of website outages tied to internal agency upheaval and untested system changes, according to The Washington Post.
—Gordon G. Chang, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Apr. 2025
Smartmatic was frequently mentioned when Trump’s lawyers Rudy Giuliani and Sidney Powell appeared as guests on Fox News and Fox Business Network programs in late 2020 and spread Trump’s erroneous charges that voting machines were rigged to throw the election to Joe Biden.
—Stephen Battaglio, Los Angeles Times, 30 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for erroneous
Cite this Entry
“Erroneous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/erroneous. Accessed 20 May. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
erroneous
adjective
er·ro·ne·ous
ir-ˈō-nē-əs
e-ˈrō-
: being wrong or inaccurate
especially
: being or containing an error
an erroneous report
erroneously
adverb
erroneousness
noun
Legal Definition
erroneous
adjective
er·ro·ne·ous
i-ˈrō-nē-əs, e-
: containing or characterized by error see also clearly erroneous
erroneously
adverb
erroneousness
noun
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share