Erraticism

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The state or quality of being unpredictable, inconsistent, or irregular in behavior or pattern
2. The characteristic of acting or occurring in an uneven, random, or unstable manner
3. A condition marked by lack of consistency, regularity, or steady course

Etymology: "Erraticism" is simply "erratic" with the suffix "-ism" added to it, so there is little hidden history to uncover. The base word "erratic" comes from Latin "erraticus", meaning "wandering" or "straying", from "errare", "to wander". That Latin root also gave English "err" in the sense of going astray, so the idea of wandering off course runs through both words. The suffix "-ism" comes from Greek "-ismos" through Latin "-ismus" and is used to form nouns denoting a state, condition, or characteristic. "Erraticism" therefore names the quality of being erratic, or a particular instance of erratic behaviour.

Synonyms: irregularity, inconsistency, unpredictability, variability, capriciousness

Antonyms: consistency, stability, regularity, predictability, uniformity