itinerant

adjective

itin·​er·​ant ī-ˈti-nə-rənt 

: traveling from place to place

especially : covering a circuit

itinerant preacher

itinerant noun

itinerantly adverb

Did you know?

In Latin, iter means "way" or "journey." That root was the parent of the Late Latin verb itinerari, meaning "to journey." It was that verb which ultimately gave rise to the English word for traveling types: itinerant. The linguistic grandparent, iter, also contributed to the development of other English words, including itinerary ("the route of a journey" and "the plan made for a journey") and errant ("traveling or given to traveling," as in knight-errant).

Synonyms

• ambulant
• ambulatory
• errant
• fugitive
• gallivanting
• galavanting
• nomad
• nomadic
• perambulatory
• peregrine
• peripatetic
• ranging
• roaming
• roving
• vagabond
• vagrant
• wandering
• wayfaring

Examples of itinerant in a Sentence

an itinerant musician can see a lot of the world

Recent Examples on the Web

The Long Wharf, which is celebrating its 61st season, is now an itinerant company performing at a number of different locations each year, including some which have never offered theater performances before. —Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 11 June 2025

Sirat centers on a father and son joining a group of itinerant ravers in the deserts of Morocco in search for one last party. —Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 24 May 2025

He was born in 1930 to a father who was an itinerant salesman and a mother who ran a small store. —Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 21 May 2025

There is certainly plenty of upside for the Fire, which has yet to ignite a large following among Chicago sports fans during much of the team’s somewhat itinerant 27-year history. —Robert Channick, Chicago Tribune, 3 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

Late Latin itinerant-, itinerans, present participle of itinerari to journey, from Latin itiner-, iter journey, way; akin to Hittite itar way, Latin ire to go — more at issue entry 1

First Known Use

circa 1576, in the meaning defined above

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Kids Definition

itinerant

adjective

itin·​er·​ant ī-ˈtin-ə-rənt 

ə-ˈtin-

: traveling from place to place

an itinerant preacher