erratic behaviour

Meaning

1. 1noununcountable

   Conduct that keeps changing in an unpredictable way and does not follow a steady pattern.

   Grammar: Uncountable: his erratic behaviour worried us.

   Patterns

   • erratic behaviour from someone
   • erratic behaviour of something

   Her erratic behaviour made it hard for colleagues to rely on her.

   The driver's erratic behaviour caught the attention of the police.

   Sudden mood swings can lead to erratic behaviour.

Common combinations

display erratic behaviour

The patient began to display erratic behaviour.

explain erratic behaviour

Lack of sleep may explain his erratic behaviour.

increasingly erratic behaviour

They worried about his increasingly erratic behaviour.

erratic behaviour of a pet

The vet examined the cat for the cause of its erratic behaviour.

erratic behaviour at work

Her erratic behaviour at work led to a meeting with her manager.

Synonyms and how they differ

unpredictable behaviour

This is the plain everyday version and does not carry the same hint of concern.

inconsistent behaviour

Inconsistent stresses not matching earlier conduct, rather than being wildly unpredictable.

irregular conduct

Irregular conduct sounds formal and may suggest breaking rules.

volatile behaviour

Volatile adds the idea of possible anger or danger.

Opposites

Word family

erratic adjective

not following a regular pattern

erratically adverb

in an unpredictable way

behave verb

to act in a particular way

behaviour noun

the way someone acts

Commonly confused: erratic behaviour or erotic?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “erratic behaviour”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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