erroneous

English

Etymology

From late Middle English erroneous, from Middle French erroneux, from Latin erroneus.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ɪˈɹəʊ.nɪ.əs/, /ɛɹˈəʊ.nɪ.əs/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• (US) IPA^(key): /ɛɹˈoʊ.ni.əs/, /ɪˈɹoʊ.ni.əs/

Adjective

erroneous (comparative more erroneous, superlative most erroneous)

1. Containing an error; inaccurate.

   His answer to the sum was erroneous.

   • 2025 January 2, Brian Stelter, “Trump falsely links New Orleans terror attack to migrants after erroneous Fox News report”, in CNN‎^[1]:

     An erroneous early Fox News report about the New Orleans terror attack is warping the political dialogue in the aftermath of the deadly rampage.

2. Derived from an error.

   His conclusion was erroneous, since it was based on a false assumption.

3. Mistaken.

   Her choice at the line-up proved to be erroneous, as she had only seen the mugger for an instant.

4. (obsolete) Wandering; erratic.
5. (law) Deviating from the requirements of the law, but without a lack of legal authority, thus not illegal.

   If, while having the power to act, one commits error in the exercise of that power, he acts erroneously.

Synonyms

• errorful
• (containing an error): inaccurate, incorrect, wrong
• (derived from an error): fallacious, false, faulty, flawed
• (mistaken): mistaken, wrong
• (legal: deviating from the requirements of the law):

Antonyms

• errorless

Derived terms

• erroneity
• erroneously
• erroneousness
• nonerroneous
• unerroneous

Collocations

with nouns

• erroneous impression
• erroneous assumption
• erroneous belief
• erroneous conclusion
• erroneous statement
• erroneous idea
• erroneous data
• erroneous view
• erroneous opinion
• erroneous judgment
• erroneous notion
• erroneous decision
• erroneous interpretation
• erroneous diagnosis
• erroneous conception
• erroneous theory
• erroneous reading
• erroneous instruction
• erroneous ruling
• erroneous assessment
• erroneous doctrine
• erroneous advice
• erroneous value
• erroneous application
• erroneous thinking
• erroneous perception
• erroneous principle
• erroneous concept
• erroneous action
• erroneous description
• erroneous record
• erroneous determination
• erroneous teaching
• erroneous inference
• erroneous premise
• erroneous conviction
• erroneous reasoning
• erroneous argument
• erroneous exclusion
• erroneous calculation
• erroneous inclusion
• erroneous treatment
• erroneous deductions
• erroneous analysis

Translations

containing an error; inaccurate

• Bulgarian: грешен (bg) (grešen), неправилен (bg) (nepravilen)
• Catalan: erroni
• Czech: chybný (cs)
• Danish: fejlagtig
• Esperanto: erara (eo)
• French: erroné (fr)
• Georgian: მცდარი (mcdari), არასწორი (arasc̣ori)
• German: unrichtig (de), fehlerhaft (de)
• Gothic: 𐌰𐌹𐍂𐌶𐌴𐌹𐍃 (airzeis)
• Greek: λανθασμένος (el) (lanthasménos), εσφαλμένος (el) (esfalménos)

  Ancient Greek: ἁμαρτωλός m or f (hamartōlós)

• Hindi: अशुद्ध (hi) (aśuddh), त्रुटिपूर्ण (truṭipūrṇ)
• Hungarian: téves (hu)
• Italian: erroneo (it)
• Latin: erroneus, falsus
• Latvian: nepareizs, kļūdains
• Lithuanian: klaidingas (lt) m
• Maori: pākirakira, kēā
• Norwegian: feilaktig
• Polish: błędny (pl)
• Portuguese: erróneo (pt) (Portugal), errôneo (pt) (Brazil)
• Russian: ло́жный (ru) (lóžnyj), неве́рный (ru) (nevérnyj), непра́вильный (ru) (neprávilʹnyj), оши́бочный (ru) (ošíbočnyj)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: по̀грешан

  Roman: pògrešan (sh)

• Spanish: erróneo (es), falso (es), errado (es), inexacto
• Swedish: felaktig (sv)
• Turkish: hatalı (tr)
• Ukrainian: помилковий (pomylkovyj)

See also

• errant
• erratic
• fallacious