(a.) Having no certain course; roving about without a fixed destination; wandering; moving; -- hence, applied to the planets as distinguished from the fixed stars.
(a.) Deviating from a wise of the common course in opinion or conduct; eccentric; strange; queer; as, erratic conduct.
(a.) Irregular; changeable.
(n.) One who deviates from common and accepted opinions; one who is eccentric or preserve in his intellectual character.
(n.) A rogue.
(n.) Any stone or material that has been borne away from its original site by natural agencies; esp., a large block or fragment of rock; a bowlder.
Example Sentences:
(1) This erratic course renders difficult assessment of the efficacy of methods of treatment.
(2) As trigger sensitivity was decreased within its usual range, a marked and progressive ventilator response delay occurred which was associated with erratic changes in functional residual capacity as well as dyspnea and tachypnea.
(3) Obstacles to successful treatment include an erratic schedule, mistrust of authority, and uncooperative or aggressive behavior.
(4) In the wake of a second fatal police shooting in the St Louis area after the death of Michael Brown , concerned citizens are asking why officers had to kill Kajieme Powell, a 25-year-old man who was holding a knife and “behaving erratically.” They want to know why officers don’t shoot someone like Powell in the leg or the arm, rather than aiming for vital organs, or why they don’t just use a less lethal weapon, like a Taser.
(5) We attribute the persistence of infection in our patient to erratic usage of antituberculous drugs.
(6) Coronary blood flow and coronary perfusion pressure were significantly correlated during the administration of lignocaine; bupivacaine had erratic effects on coronary blood flow and no correlation between coronary blood flow and coronary perfusion pressure was seen.
(7) Flynn’s subsequent penchant for inflammatory, erratic and even bigoted statements left few, particularly in security circles, willing to defend him.
(8) The president of the European parliament, Martin Schulz, reflecting the deep anger felt in Brussels at the erratic negotiating tactics adopted by Tsipras and Varoufakis, said Greek voters should blame Tsipras for bringing the country to its knees.
(9) Cells in optimal (5 x 10(-9) M) but uniform concentrations of N-formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine (FMLP) polarized well and showed a 'persistent random walk' type of locomotion, whereas in supraoptimal concentrations (10(-7) M), the cells took erratic paths and polarized poorly, suggesting that monocytes cannot develop an anteroposterior polarity if hit by ligand molecules at many points on the cell surface simultaneously.
(10) It is perhaps not surprising that self-diagnosis and self-medication are common and follow-up attendance is erratic.
(11) As far back as 2008, the Wall Street Journal was running front-page pieces , beginning: "Major banks are contributing to the erratic behaviour of a crucial global lending benchmark".
(12) The fact that it failed is related to the atomised society left behind by 40 years of the most brutal and erratic of dictatorships.
(13) At lower levels the results were somewhat more erratic due to inaccuracies of the various methods at low concentrations.
(14) At any rate, the only sparse range of body expressions, the smallness and preference of night activity of these animals and the erratic occurrence of essential behaviour patterns make the investigations more difficult.
(15) It has been encouraged by Trump’s often erratic, unfocused behaviour , and the resulting opportunities and dangers arising from weakened American global leadership.
(16) Though absorption of ampicillin from capsules was often erratic, its bioavailability was similar in normal and cirrhotic subjects.
(17) Moreover, the emotional climate of adolescence, which requires affiliation with peer groups, and a distancing from authority figures such as doctors and parents, is often associated with a deterioration in drug and dietary compliance and with erratic clinic attendance.
(18) I learned that the hard way: when I was younger, I played the part of the erratic, irascible drunk in order to have something to write about.
(19) Once well-paid, stable work with decent terms and conditions is gradually being replaced by minimum-wage, erratic jobs.
(20) Psychiatric patients may also be at special risk for the development of digitoxicity because of erratic drug taking, electrolyte imbalance or increased autonomic tone.
Fluctuate
Definition:
(v. i.) To move as a wave; to roll hither and thither; to wave; to float backward and forward, as on waves; as, a fluctuating field of air.
(v. i.) To move now in one direction and now in another; to be wavering or unsteady; to be irresolute or undetermined; to vacillate.
(v. t.) To cause to move as a wave; to put in motion.
Example Sentences:
(1) Spectral analysis of spontaneous heart rate fluctuations, a powerful noninvasive tool for quantifying autonomic nervous system activity, was assessed in Xenopus Laevis, intact or spinalized, at different temperatures and by use of pharmacological tools.
(2) The influence of the various concepts for the induction of lateral structure formation in lipid membranes on integral functional units like ionophores is demonstrated by analysing the single channel current fluctuations of gramicidin in bimolecular lipid membranes.
(3) During control, no significant difference between systolic fluctuation (delta Pa) and pleural swings (delta Ppl) was found.
(4) The fluctuations in [Ca2+]i measured with fura-2 were synchronized among the population of cells observed and were sensitive to extracellular Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]o).
(5) Large emission intensity fluctuations are observed from analyte species in inductively coupled plasmas.
(6) The titres of phase I antibodies fluctuated from 0 to 16 depending on the antigen applied.
(7) Macroscopic fluctuations of liver alcohol dehydrogenase enzymic activity in complex reaction consisting in ethanol oxidation and butyraldehyde reduction were studied.
(8) The curve of glucose fluctuations was smoother after 50 micrograms than after 100 micrograms and control.
(9) During a single reversal trial of two 2-wk experimental periods, teats of all glands of 12 Holstein cows were subjected to a milking routine conducive to large vacuum fluctuations and flooded teat cups.
(10) For the case of the fluctuating pressure, the strength of the artery becomes considerably lower than those under constant amplitude and two-step-multi-duplicated pulsatile pressure.
(11) The fluctuations in heart rate (HR) and blood pressure (BP) over 24-h were measured at 30-min and 1-h intervals, respectively.
(12) The large degree of inter-dose fluctuation between doses indicates that it is preferable to use pre-dose plasma sodium valproate levels to guide the clinical management of epileptic patients.
(13) Painful manifestations (arthralgia, myalgia), variable with fluctuations in the IS affection were observed in both groups (S1, S2).
(14) These apparent conflicting results between IK and the tail current could not be explained by extracellular K+ fluctuation, because 20 mM Cs+ alone depressed both factors, but an additional application of Ba2+ caused an increase in both components compared with those in the former condition.
(15) This model characterized the abnormal flow by a weak fluctuation of wall shear stress at the site adjacent to the vessel wall.
(16) The results of the present experiments show that capillary blood flow in the cerebral cortex fluctuates, whether the cat's head is supplied by the animal's intact circulation or by an artificial circulation system.
(17) Seasonal fluctuations in IOP were observed (P = 0.0007), with higher IOP occurring in the winter.
(18) Among all subgroups, the odds ratios adjusted for pertinent confounders and interactions fluctuated randomly by about 0.9 and showed no consistent trend with increased alcohol consumption.
(19) During 70 days or so from the time of recruitment until just before the beginning of the cycle during which a follicle is destined to ovulate, folliculogenesis is a continuous process dependent on gonadotrophins but independent of the fluctuations in their concentrations occurring during this time.
(20) The proportion of sampling runs characterized by normal fluctuating levels increased from 38% in the first 2 years of use to 80% during the 5th year of use.